Lawmaker's daughter feared he would kill her as he tried to run van off road, filing says

State Rep. Ty Burns has pleaded guilty to domestic abuse and assault after police investigated reports that he tried to gouge out his wife’s eye and ran a van with his 16-year-old daughter inside off the road.

The case against Burns, a Republican from Pawnee, was based on incidents that occurred months ago. But it did not come to public light until after he had pleaded guilty Thursday, Aug. 28 to one misdemeanor count of domestic abuse and two misdemeanor counts of assault.

His daughter said she thought he was going to kill her during the vehicle chase, according to a court filing.

A Pawnee County District Court judge signed off on a one-year suspended sentence and ordered Burns to complete a year-long batterer's intervention program.

In a statement, Burns said he takes full responsibility for his actions and is receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. He is a veteran of the Oklahoma Army National Guard. He was elected in 2018.

"I know I must do better for myself and my family," Burns said. "I deeply regret what occurred and am prepared to be held accountable for my actions."

It's unclear whether the House will take action against Burns. Jennifer Monies, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, said Burns would step down from his role as chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Finance Subcommittee.

Hilbert, a Republican from Bristow, did not say whether he would pursue further action. “There is no place in society for domestic violence of any kind," he said. "I appreciate Rep. Burns taking ownership for his actions and seeking treatment.”

Court records say Burns was represented during Thursday’s court proceedings by fellow Republican Rep. Chris Kannady, who also serves as the counselor to the House speaker.

The case was prosecuted by the office of Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who announced that Burns had pleaded guilty. The case was not available in the state’s online court system until after his sentence was handed down.

Pawnee County District Attorney Mike Fisher recused himself because of his personal relationship with Burns. Fisher declined to comment on the guilty plea and sentencing.

Burn's guilty pleas stem from two separate incidents in November 2024 and April 2025.

An arrest warrant affidavit filed in court Thursday spells out the findings of an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation into Burns.

According to the affidavit filed by OSBI special agent Lynda Stevens, Fisher had requested OSBI's help to investigate the case on April 29.

The affidavit said Burns had become upset at his wife on April 25 because he believed she had allowed a 16-year-old girl, identified only by her initials, to drink alcohol. The affidavit does not specify the girl's relationship to Burns. A spokesperson for Drummond confirmed the girl is Burns' daughter.

Burns told an investigator that the girl was in trouble that day for not doing her chores. While the Legislature is in session in April, that day was a Friday, when lawmakers typically aren’t meeting.

Burns' wife and the girl's grandmother arrived at Burns' house later that day, according to the affidavit. The couple’s three minor children were also at the house. Burns and his wife argued. Stevens wrote that investigators later saw a recording of the argument.

The grandmother left the house and went to her van. Before she started the van, Burns stormed out of the house, shook and pushed the van, slammed the car doors and screamed at her to leave, the affidavit said.

Burns’ wife opened the van door and told the grandmother to take the 16-year-old daughter with her, telling her to hurry and “go, go, go.” The affidavit said Burns then got in his truck and chased the van with the grandmother and girl inside. The representative eventually passed the van and blocked the road.

The affidavit said Burns told the grandmother he was going to kill her while the teen screamed that Burns was going to hurt them. The grandmother was able to flee in the van, and Burns pursued them again. According to the affidavit, the teen called her mother and said, “He is going to hurt us. Mama make him stop. Please he is going to kill us.”

Investigators watched a video of the chase where Burns' daughter can be heard saying, “He is literally about to kill us.”

As a result of the chase, the grandmother told investigators she hurt her back and said she believed the teen had hit her head when Burns ran them off the road and caused them to hit a ditch.

According to the affidavit, Burns' wife later told investigators about a separate incident from November 2024. She said Burns was upset about plans she had made over Thanksgiving and tried to gouge her eye out with his finger. He broke a blood vessel in her eye, causing her to miss work the next week, the affidavit said.

It's unknown when Burns' fellow lawmakers became aware of the criminal investigation into him. The Legislature adjourned its regular session May 30, one month after OSBI was asked to begin investigating him.

Burns was recently spotlighted on the House Republican caucus' social media for speaking out against an August decision by the state's governing body for public schools sports.

The case in Pawnee marks another instance in which a state lawmaker was arrested. In 2023, then-Rep. Dean Davis, R-Broken Arrow, was censured by the House after he was arrested in Oklahoma City's Bricktown for public intoxication. That same year, then-Rep. Ryan Martinez, R-Edmond, resigned after pleading guilty to a felony offense of a non-driving DUI.

Speaking about Burns' case, Drummond described domestic violence as “all too common.”

“While there is no excuse for domestic violence, I am encouraged that the representative has taken responsibility for his actions and will receive counseling under terms of his sentence,“ Drummond said in a news release.