The Governor has criticized the District Attorney's decision to file charges. Those charges allege the group-- Board Chairman Marc Dreyer and board members Currie Ballard, Richard Duggar, and Lynnell Harkins-- purposely hid their actions from he citizens they're supposed to serve.

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board members had no comment after their initial appearance in court Thursday afternoon. But, lawyers for the group say all five maintain their "absolute innocence."

"I take issue with the allegation that they violated any law," says Clark Brewster, a Tulsa attorney who is representing Board Chairman Marc Dreyer.

But, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater disagrees. He has filed misdemeanor charges on ten separate counts for a violation of the Open Meetings Act. He says all five board members conducted business that was not published in the agenda-- including voting on the release of inmates who were being considered for early parole.

"They complied with the open meeting laws. There was no concealment. It was open and obvious, and their meetings were recorded," counters Brewster. He says the meetings in question were handled with the same process that's been in place for more than 20-years. He says the group has been counseled by a lawyer in all of their decisions. "That lawyer gives direction and that board follows that direction" he says.

"I was definitely worried that it would affect Patricia Spottedcrow," says Laura Deskin, an attorney in the Metro. Deskin says, when she heard of the charges, her first thought was one of her clients-- a woman who was released after a vote during one of the meetings in question. "Everybody felt, including the Governor, that she deserved to be out," says Deskin. Patricia Spottedcrow was released after serving two years of a 12-year sentence for selling $31-worth of marijuana. Deskin was concerned her client could be locked back up pending the charges. But, Prater says those cases will remain the same, and his only goal is to hold the board members accountable. "He says his intention was not to undo anything that's been done, but to ensure that the process is done correctly going forward," she says.

Both attorneys for the group and the Governor have voiced their concern that these charges will cause people to shy away from volunteering for Government boards-- such as the Pardon and Parole Board.