The wife of a wealthy lawyer with influential connections received preferential treatment behind bars before being released just 73 days into an eight-year prison sentence, a grand jury investigation has revealed.
Sara Polston drove to pick up her children from school after consuming margaritas at lunch and crashed her Cadillac Escalade into Micaela Borrego's car at 66 mph in February 2023. Police in Norman, Oklahoma, found a bottle of tequila she had purchased on the way, and tests showed her blood alcohol level was 0.158, nearly double the legal limit.
Following a protracted legal battle, Polston pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years in prison last December. She also paid $5 million to Borrego in a civil settlement. Borrego, who was 19 at the time of the crash, spent weeks in a coma with a 5% chance of survival and had to relearn how to walk and talk.
Shockingly, Polston was released after only 73 days as part of Oklahoma's controversial ankle monitor program. Her case prompted a multi-county grand jury investigation that uncovered astonishing VIP treatment she received while incarcerated.
The damning report revealed the personal intervention of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a longtime friend of Polston's husband, Rod Polston, a well-connected tax lawyer. Rod Polston and Stitt were high school classmates and college fraternity brothers, and the Polstons donated $27,000 to his campaigns and hosted a fundraiser at their home.
Dozens of prison phone calls recorded the couple discussing political machinations to secure special treatment for Sara Polston and ultimately her release. Stitt was never mentioned by name, but the grand jury found that code words like 'Kevin', 'The Guy', 'Our Friend', and 'Our Buddy' referred to him.
In one call, Polston asked her husband, 'Do you think I'll have any special treatment?' He replied, 'I don't know, I'm going to try anyway that I can. I got the highest workers working on it... I'm going to try not to beg Kevin, bother him.'
Another conversation implied the governor was trying to secure a pardon for Polston behind the scenes. 'He can't do the P?' Polston asked. 'He's got to check to see if they serve at his pleasure,' Rod replied.
While at the county jail, Sheriff Chris Amason also went out of his way to make Polston's time more comfortable. Calls showed she complained about her iPad not being charged, which she was allowed to have against normal procedures. Rod was also permitted to bring her a Chick-Fil-A meal during frequent visitations coordinated by Amason.
The grand jury wrote, 'These sorts of inmate accommodations were unprecedented in the Cleveland County Jail. The sheriff informed investigators that he wanted to help the Polstons. He stated he was trying to do Polston a favor and wanted to "do them a solid."'
Polston was initially housed in a medical cell, then moved to another area where she could watch TV, then back to medical when she decided it was too loud. She was also transferred from the county jail to a more comfortable long-term prison far earlier than the average inmate.
The Department of Corrections chief of operations, Jason Sparks, ordered the chief of population to expedite Polston's transport. Rod told his wife in another call that he got her moved to the Dr. Eddie Warrior Correctional Center because it 'was at 99 percent capacity so they can "justify bouncing you out earlier because they just don't have the space."'
The pardon never materialized, but Polston's influential friends were able to swiftly secure the next best thing: release with an ankle monitor. Stitt intervened at least twice to encourage jail authorities to get her onto the program and later called interim DOC director Justin Farris to 'confirm' she was being released.
The grand jury report noted that no witness testified that they were directed by the governor to release Polston. However, 'it defies common sense and logic to believe that the governor and governor's staff's multiple phone calls to newly appointed interim director Farris did not play a role in the remarkable decision to release Sara Polston just over two months into an eight-year sentence.'
Krista Borrego, Micaela's mother and primary full-time caregiver, was not informed of the possibility that Polston could be released and was given no opportunity to object. She only learned of it after the release date was set.
Polston's special treatment began even before her sentencing. The grand jury report noted that civil attorneys for the Polstons presented the Borregos with a conditional offer of $500,000 if Polston was not sentenced to prison. The Borrego family declined and pushed for incarceration, later receiving $5 million in a settlement.
The pre-sentence investigation officer assigned to her case was instructed to 'ensure Polston was treated with respect and made to feel comfortable' as she 'feels like law enforcement doesn't like her.' The officer believed the message carried an implication that he was to be lenient and felt that the wrong decision could cost him his job.
The grand jury stated that the investigation 'uncovered deeply concerning practices and actions' by officials but found insufficient evidence to recommend criminal charges. However, it branded the GPS program 'indefensible and the instances of political favoritism reprehensible.'
'Citizens deserve an even playing field irrespective of wealth, social status, and political connections,' it added.
Governor Stitt denied any wrongdoing, stating, 'I never asked for that to happen nor called in special favors. No one testified to that effect and the grand jury found no evidence of such accusations.' He accused Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond of trying to smear him.
Cleveland County District Attorney Jennifer Austin expressed frustration with the decision, saying, 'This is not what the law intends: that a victim can almost be killed and 70 days later, they're released. We have to do better. This is not okay.'
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections stated that the GPS program allows eligible inmates to be reintegrated under strict supervision. Polston had no disqualifying criteria, no prior criminal record, and a successful history of treatment and community service, making her eligible. The Population and Classification unit approved her placement on February 11.
Borrego's heartbroken mother told the outlet, '[The judge] gave her eight years, and with the stroke of a pen, the DOC was able to unravel that.'
