100 signatures reached
To: To: Tulsa County District Attorney, Oklahoma Attorney General, Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, and the Governor of Oklahoma
Free Prentice Ponds: Life + 25 year Sentence for a Crime That Never Happened
Prentice Ponds is 100% innocent — yet he’s serving Life + 25 Years in Oklahoma for a crime that never happened, based on a faulty arrest, illegal court process, and evidence that was ignored.
We Demand Full Exoneration for Prentice Ponds — A Man Wrongfully Convicted
We, the undersigned, call upon state officials and the justice system of Oklahoma to immediately exonerate Prentice Eugene Ponds II, a man who has spent years in prison for crimes he did not commit.
Prentice Ponds is absolutely innocent.
He was wrongfully convicted in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and sentenced to life plus 25 years for crimes stemming from a 2015 incident in which he was, in truth, the victim. After a car insurance claim turned into an aggressive and suspicious home encounter with an insurance adjuster, Ponds acted in self-defense inside his own home. Instead of being treated fairly, he was charged with
- Robbery by Force or Fear
- Insurance Fraud
In 2015, Mr. Ponds lawfully exercised his right to self-defense inside his own home. After a hostile confrontation with an aggressive insurance adjuster — during a visit related to a routine car claim — Ponds protected himself and called the police. No items were stolen. No deadly force was used.
This defies all logic and contradicts Oklahoma’s own “Stand Your Ground” law, which grants every citizen the right to protect themselves from aggression without the duty to retreat, especially in their own residence.
This Is Not a Technicality. It’s a Miscarriage of Justice.- ✅ He acted within his legal rights under state self-defense laws.
- ✅ He called the police himself after the incident — not something a guilty person does.
- ✅ There was no theft, and no credible evidence of intent to rob.
- ✅ The judge had a conflict of interest due to ties to the State Insurance Fund
- ✅ He has maintained his innocence from day one.
- ✅ He acted within his legal rights under state self-defense laws.
Prentice himself called the police using his alarm system, offered water and towels to the man, and documented the incident with photos. Nobody was arrested. No charges were filed.
Months later, they charged him — which had been dismissed in 2015 — were suddenly refiled using the same probable cause affidavit!!!.
To secure a conviction, the State:
- Used a probable cause affidavit filed in a county with no jurisdiction
- Seated a juror who spoke 20% of English, violating Prentice’s right to a fair trial
- Allowed a judge to sentence him despite a conflict of interest — she and the freelance investigator worked under the same umbrella company
- Refused to consider photo evidence from the defense
- Allowed Prentice’s past record, not the facts of the case, to enhance the sentence to Life + 25 years
This is not justice. This is how innocent people are buried in the system.
Why Exoneration Is Just and Urgent
Why Exoneration Is Just and Urgent
- No evidence of theft: The adjuster's belongings were pictured at the scene—not stolen.
- He called the police himself: Innocent behavior inconsistent with guilt.
- Self-defense inside his own home: Ponds was confronted and acted to protect himself. The insurance adjuster refused a paramedic and NO arrests were made!!!
- Judicial conflict of interest: The judge had undisclosed ties to the State Insurance Fund—clear grounds for recusal.
- Ineffective counsel and appellate barriers: His appeals have been denied not based on the facts. The law is clear!!
Why is this important?
✊🏽 WHY THIS MATTERS
If someone can be sentenced to life plus 25yrs for a case with:
- Dismissed charges and refiled with a reused probable cause affidavit that was not only from another county but had been dismissed and reused with no new evidence.
- Juror only understood 20% of English
- No actual insurance fraud, No claim number for a claim and No Money received!!
- Injustice in This Case Undermines the Law Itself
If “Stand Your Ground” does not apply to Prentice Ponds — a man protecting himself in his own home — who does it apply to? - Allowed a judge to sentence him despite a conflict of interest — she and the freelance investigator worked under the same umbrella company.
- The same judge that refused to accept pictures of the man with the items Prentice was accused of stealing.
This isn’t just about one man. This is about whether Oklahoma law protects all of its citizens — or only some. Wrongful convictions steal lives, erode trust in the legal system, and perpetuate cycles of injustice—particularly in Black communities. Prentice Ponds’ case is a glaring example of what happens when bias, misconduct, and indifference are allowed to override truth.
If Oklahoma wants to claim a fair justice system, it must admit its errors, clear Prentice Ponds’ name, and free him with honor—not pity.
We demand justice, truth, and accountability.
Free Prentice Ponds. Exonerate him now.
None of us are safe!!
Prentice’s story is not about loopholes — it’s about abuse of power and erasure of truth.
Prentice’s story is not about loopholes — it’s about abuse of power and erasure of truth.
His past does not justify his future being stolen.
We will not wait decades for the courts to “maybe” get it right.
We will not wait decades for the courts to “maybe” get it right.
Freedom must come now.
How it will be delivered
This petition will be delivered in person to the Governor’s office and digitally submitted