10/29/2025
PRESS RELEASE RE: Ardmore Teacher Child Abuse Case
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kimberly Rennie
Counsel for the Victim’s Family
(405) 655-5733
Email: [email protected]
Date: October 29, 2025
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Parents Raise Concerns Over Reduced Charge in Ardmore Teacher Child Abuse Case
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Ardmore, OK — October 29, 2025. Parents of a child involved in the case of State of Oklahoma v. Susan Hartman (Carter County Case No. CF-2024-146) are raising serious concerns after learning that the Carter County District Attorney’s Office intends to reduce a felony child abuse charge to a misdemeanor.
Susan Hartman, then a teacher at Charles Evans Elementary School, was arrested in 2024 after subjecting a special needs student to prolonged and inappropriate physical discipline captured on video on or about March 27, 2024.
The District Attorney’s Office notified the family on October 29, 2025, that the plea agreement reducing the charge would be presented to the Court the following day—less than 24 hours’ notice.
The Oklahoma Victims Rights Act (21 O.S. § 142A-2) grants victims and their families the right to be notified of and heard in all proceedings involving pleas, sentencing, or disposition. Victims also have the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect, and to provide input on plea negotiations.
Additionally, 22 O.S. § 234 limits prosecutors’ discretion to reduce charges in certain serious cases, including child abuse under 21 O.S. § 843.5.
“This family deserved transparency and the chance to be heard before such a significant decision was made,” said Kimberly Rennie, Counsel for the victim’s family. “Reducing a felony child abuse charge to a misdemeanor undermines accountability and sends the wrong message to victims and offenders across Oklahoma.”
The next hearing in State v. Hartman is scheduled for October 30, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. before Judge Carson Brooks in Courtroom 201 at the Carter County District Courthouse. The victim’s family and their advocates plan to attend and respectfully urge the Court to reject the proposed plea deal.
Community members are encouraged to respectfully voice their concerns to the Carter County District Attorney’s Office. Advocates stress that this issue is not only about one case, but about ensuring that victims’ rights remain at the forefront of Oklahoma’s criminal justice process.
“We believe in due process and in the strength of our justice system,” Rennie added. “But justice also requires that victims’ voices are heard and respected.”
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