(Update: On Tuesday, April 30, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler charged Tulsa City Councilman Grant Miller with one misdemeanor count of domestic violence. The following article remains in its form as updated Monday, April 29.)
Tulsa City Councilman Adam Grant Miller was arrested Thursday night and booked into the Tulsa County Jail on one count of domestic assault and battery. The District 5 councilor was held there until a court hearing Friday morning, which a judge set his bond at $8,000. The court also ordered Miller to wear a GPS tracker and barred him from contacting his wife, the alleged victim.
During the virtual hearing, which was attended by Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler, prosecutors alleged that Miller and his wife have “a history of domestic violence between the two throughout the years” and asked for an $8,000 bond and GPS monitoring, which the court granted. Attorneys for Miller argued for a $500 bond, citing a lack of prior charges for any violent crimes.
Miller was arrested at a home in midtown Tulsa around 9:05 p.m. by Tulsa Police Department officer Stephen Tidwell and booked into the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center at 9:59 p.m., according to the police report and jail booking records.
According to Tidwell’s report, Miller’s wife said the couple got into an argument while watching a movie Tuesday night after he “repeatedly looked at his phone” during the film. During the argument, Miller’s wife said she attempted to hug her husband but that he pushed her away before going to bed. After she followed Miller to the bedroom, he allegedly “kicked her with both feet, causing her to fall to the ground and hit the dresser.” The report also referenced “grabbing and pushing” during the confrontation.
After his release from jail Friday afternoon, Miller did not speak to reporters as he quickly exited the jail and made his way to a white SUV parked directly in front of the facility’s main entrance. His next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 2.
Elected as the sole registered Libertarian on the nonpartisan Tulsa City Council before switching his party affiliation to Republican, Miller took office following a close election in 2022 where, after a recount, he defeated incumbent Mykey Arthrell by 24 votes. District Judge Doug Drummond dismissed Arthrell’s lawsuit alleging voting irregularities.
Seeking a second two-year term, Miller has announced his reelection campaign for the District 5 seat, but official filing does not open until June. Prior to his election to the city council, Miller served in the United States Army and he worked for the Liberal, Kansas, Police Department between 2011 and 2013.
‘Prosecutors will determine validity’
Neither city nor county law enforcement officials would provide a copy of Miller’s arrest report or probable cause affidavit Friday, despite the records being referenced in his bond hearing.
However, a copy of the police report was provided Monday by Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office communications director Casey Roebuck. In the report, Tidwell wrote that Miller’s mother-in-law reported the events to police.
“On arrival, I met the victim,” Tidwell said. “While speaking [redacted], I could visually see bruising on both of the victim’s arms and left hand. She then informed me she had injuries to both of her legs. After seeing her legs there were apparent bruising to both legs.”
Friday morning, TPD Chief Wendell Franklin tweeted a statement.
“I want to add clarity to the arrest of a city councilor for proper reporting,” Franklin wrote. “The law compels officers to arrest in domestic cases where probable cause exists that an assault occurred. Prosecutors will determine validity and work with the crime victim who made the allegation.”
Grant Miller’s law license denied, Ron Durbin’s suspended
Miller’s relationship with the rest of the Tulsa City Council publicly deteriorated last year when he requested the text messages of fellow city councilpersons Laura Bellis, Vanessa Hall-Harper and Lori Decter Wright. Shortly after his request was fulfilled, attorney Ron Durbin — also Miller’s boss at the time — filed a public records request for all electronic communications about city business sent between the three city council members since 2018.
Shortly afterward, Durbin filed a lawsuit under the Open Records Act against the three elected officials and the city of Tulsa. Durbin’s law license was suspended by the Oklahoma Supreme Court on April 8 after the court found “respondent has committed conduct in violation of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct that poses an immediate threat of substantial and irreparable public harm.”
Miller, who graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in December 2022, was denied his law license earlier this year by the Oklahoma Board of Bar Examiners. The unusual hearing included testimony from Bellis, Hall-Harper and Wright, as well as from Mayor G.T. Bynum.
Miller is challenging the decision denying his law license and has hired former Attorney General John M. O’Connor for his appeal in front of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The challenge was referenced during Friday morning’s bond hearing by Miller’s attorney, who argued that Miller was unlikely to flee the jurisdiction owing to his pursuit of a license to practice law.
(Update: This article was updated at 4:50 p.m. Monday, April 29, to note that the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office provided a copy of the police report involving Grant Miller. The article was updated to include details from the report.)
