District Judge
District Judge D.W. Boyd appointed Lee Turner as Special District Judge, 8th Judicial District in and for Kay and Noble Counties. Judge Turner was sworn in by Judge Boyd on June 1, 2012. Judge Turner has now served and continues to serve as Special District Judge in and for Kay and Noble Counties for over six years.
The Eighth Judicial District, consisting of Kay and Noble Counties, has one District Judge that has jurisdiction over all court matters in both Kay County and Noble County, including being responsible for all administrative and budgetary matters. Each county has one Associate District Judge. The Eighth Judicial District has two Special District Judges, one that is assigned to both Kay and Noble County and one that is assigned in Kay County.
Special District Judge Lee Turner is the Special District Judge assigned to both Kay and Noble Counties, generally presiding in Kay County with two days per month assigned in Noble County and other days as needed.
Judicial Duties
The Special District Judges preside over felony cases from initial filing of cases through the preliminary hearing stage, including Initial Appearance dockets, Attorney Status Review dockets, Felony Status dockets, and conducting evidentiary Preliminary Hearings, and disposition of felonies that have waived to the Special District Judge's jurisdiction.
The Special District Judge presides over all misdemeanor cases from the initial filing to final disposition including jury trials. Special District Judges rule on applications for search warrants and arrest warrants and issue search warrants and arrest warrants upon determination that the warrant being sought meets constitutional requirements.
In Kay County, the Special District Judges are the assigned judges on family law cases including final trials in dissolution of marriage and child custody cases. Special District Judges preside over protective order hearings, small claims docket, and civil lawsuits seeking damages less than $10,000.00.
Additionally, Special District Judges preside over other cases and dockets as assigned to them by the District Judge — Deprived Juvenile Dockets, Probate cases, etc. Special District Judges are also the assigned judges to rule on Appeals from Municipal Courts.
Special District Judge Lee Turner is also the assigned judge that presides over Community Sentencing compliance dockets in both Kay and Noble Counties.
Experience & Qualifications
Special District Judge Lee Turner is a former police officer with approximately five years law enforcement service, serving as a police officer with the Lawton Police Department beginning in 1982, and again as a police officer with the Cameron University Office of Public Safety in 1989. Judge Turner was certified by the Oklahoma Counsel Law Enforcement Education & Training (C.L.E.E.T) in 1982, graduating first in the Southwest Oklahoma C.L.E.E.T. academy class in October 1982.
In 1992, Judge Turner graduated from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma with a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, cum laude. He attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor with high distinction in May 1995. During law school, Lee Turner was employed with the Cleveland County District Attorney's Office in Norman, Oklahoma, and prosecuted his first two jury trials under supervision of the district attorney.
After graduating from law school, Judge Turner moved to Kay County where he served as an Assistant District Attorney with the Kay County District Attorney's Office, prosecuting criminal cases for Kay and Noble Counties. His primary responsibility was to serve as lead prosecutor for drug and alcohol related cases supervising the investigators employed by the North Central Oklahoma Drug Task Force.
Lee Turner went into private practice, first with the law firm of Boettcher, Ryan & Martin (1997–1999), then as founding partner of Bandy and Turner, P.C. (1999), followed by Turner and Burlie, P.C. (2000). Judge Turner and Jim Devinney formed the Devinney and Turner Law Firm, P.C. in 2003, which grew to include nine legal assistants, a third staff attorney, and a second office in Stillwater. Judge Turner served as co-managing partner until June 1, 2012, when he joined the judiciary.
Family Life
Judge Turner was born in Portales, New Mexico in 1957. Judge Turner is an "Okie" by heritage. His father, Grady M. Turner, was originally raised in the Chickasha area and joined the U.S. Navy in 1942, serving in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II and as part of the United States post-war occupation force in Japan.
Judge Turner's mother, Joy M. Storie, was born in Sulphur, Oklahoma and raised in the Altus area before moving to Portales, New Mexico, where Judge Turner's grandfather, L.E. Storie, pastored the Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. Judge Turner's parents met at a church service and married, eventually settling in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Judge Turner is married to Kim Michelle Dennis. They have four children and ten grandchildren. The family resides in Ponca City, Oklahoma.
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