Supreme Court ruling leads to two Pontotoc Co. inmates released

PONTOTOC COUNTY, Okla. (KXII) - A Supreme Court ruling involving crime inside tribal jurisdiction led to two Pontotoc County Inmates being released last month.

43-year-old Jimmy Northcutt Jr. and 29-year-old Stephen Davis were released in February.

Pontotoc District Attorney Paul Smith said a district judge ordered their release after their crimes were committed on Chickasaw tribal land.

The Supreme Court case of McGirt v. Oklahoma ruled that a tribal nation has jurisdiction over crimes committed by or against Native Americans and not the state.

Northcutt was in the Pontotoc County Justice Center for a murder he committed in 2019 and Davis was charged for child abuse.

Smith said similar cases are pending throughout Oklahoma.

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