Oklahoma City tries to charge farmer arrested at data center debate $17,000 for body cam footage of the incident — accused faces trespassing charge for going over allotted speaking time by 30 seconds at a public debate

The city of Claremore, Oklahoma is attempting to charge farmer Darren Blanchard $17,000 for body cam footage from an incident in April 2026 where he was arrested for speaking 30 seconds too long during a public debate about a proposed data center. According to the Oklahoma Attorney General, Claremore is asking for this amount for legal review costs and document search fees.

However, Assistant Attorney General Anthony Sykes argues that the city is violating state law by charging more than the permitted direct costs for searching and copying data. The city also claims it needs to redact the footage to protect privacy, but the assistant attorney general states that the incident occurred in a public meeting with no reasonable expectation of privacy, thus the footage should be released.

Blanchard is facing a trespassing charge which carries a $200 fine, a significant difference from the proposed $17,000 fee. He is contesting the charges on the grounds that they violate his free speech rights. This case is part of a larger trend of arrests related to protests against data center projects.