Newly released bodycam footage shows Oklahoma Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak being taken into custody on suspicion of public intoxication after police found him standing at a McDonald’s drive-thru window in Edmond. The incident happened around 10:45 p.m. on Friday, August 14. A 911 caller reported a man who had been outside the restaurant for some time and appeared intoxicated. The caller said the man was not causing a scene but raised concern that he might get behind the wheel.

Edmond police officers arrived and located Lepak near the order window. His vehicle sat in the parking lot. According to the arrest report, Lepak showed extremely slurred speech and officers detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath. He struggled to pull his identification from his wallet and had difficulty keeping a coherent train of thought.

On the bodycam video, officers asked how much he had to drink. Lepak first said he had not been drinking. He repeatedly stated that he just wanted to eat his McDonald’s. He mentioned attending a church gathering with other dads earlier and noted that his kids had started a new school.

Later in the conversation he acknowledged having less than one beer because he did not finish it. Lepak gave conflicting answers about whether he had driven to the restaurant. Officers told him he was under arrest for public intoxication and noted he was lucky it was not a DUI charge. They placed him in a patrol car and transported him to the Edmond jail.

Officers put his bag of food in the passenger seat of his vehicle before leaving the scene. No breathalyzer test was administered. Lepak, 42, was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Kevin Stitt. He previously served as the governor’s general counsel.

A spokesperson for Lepak said he was waiting outside the restaurant for dinner and will address the ticket through the legal process. Court records show Lepak pleaded guilty in 2021 to actual physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated and transporting an open container of beer. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond reviewed the bodycam footage and called for Lepak’s immediate removal from office, describing the conduct as unbecoming of a high-ranking state official. The case is set to be handled in municipal court.