Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Acting Chairman H. Calvin Prince III abruptly resigned amid a criminal investigation into bribery allegations.

Prince is accused of leveraging his position by soliciting sexual favors in exchange for potential pardons, according to an affidavit filed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). His resignation on Nov. 29 caused significant disruption within the board.

The upheaval delayed a critical clemency hearing for death row inmate Kevin Underwood, convicted of one of Oklahoma’s most notorious crimes.

The Pardon and Parole Board (PPB) had been scheduled to hear Underwood’s contested bid for clemency that was scheduled for Dec. 4. He is scheduled to be executed Dec. 19 for the 2006 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin.

While the delay in Underwood’s case sparked concern, an OSBI investigation turned to allegations that Prince abused his position with the Pontotoc County Drug and Specialty Courts to foster inappropriate relationships with participants.

According to the affidavit, Prince allegedly met a woman through the county’s drug court and later invited her to private counseling sessions under a court-mandated divorce education program. He is accused of using these sessions to initiate a personal relationship, sending explicit text messages under the guise of professional guidance. Records indicate the inappropriate messages began in November 2023.

The affidavit details a series of text exchanges in which Prince commented on the woman’s appearance and encouraged her to visit his office alone. In one message, after she sent him three nude photos, Prince responded with an explicit discussion about her personal grooming habits.

The woman told agents she declined Prince’s invitation to visit his office, fearing he would expect sexual favors, the affidavit shows. She also recounted feeling pressured by his suggestive comments during private after-hours counseling sessions at the Pontotoc County Drug Court Office in Ada. In one incident, Prince allegedly requested she undress to “boost her confidence,” but she refused.

The woman later reported Prince’s conduct to authorities, stating he had crossed professional boundaries.

On Nov. 29, OSBI agents searched Prince’s home in Stonewall, seizing his cellphone, desktop computer, and laptop. According to the search warrant, the agents believed the devices contained evidence of bribery or abuse of power. Prince resigned the same day.

Gov. Kevin Stitt, who appointed Prince to the PPB in January 2023, has not commented on the resignation or the allegations. Stitt previously praised Prince as “a steward of justice for the people of Oklahoma.”

Prince’s departure follows the resignation of Board Chairman Edward Konieczny earlier in November, leaving the five-member board temporarily reduced to three active members — the minimum required to conduct business. The vacancies forced the postponement of Underwood’s clemency hearing, originally scheduled for December 4.

Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who opposes clemency for Underwood, has emphasized the urgency of proceeding with the hearing despite the board’s instability. “The crimes committed by Kevin Ray Underwood remain some of the most depraved and notorious in Oklahoma history. No mercy is warranted here,” Drummond stated in a clemency packet submitted to the board.

On Dec. 2, Drummond filed an emergency petition with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to compel the PPB to hold the hearing as scheduled. “Jamie’s family has already waited 18 agonizing years for justice,” Drummond said. “Adding further delay is needless and unconscionable. Kevin Underwood is a deeply evil monster whose execution should proceed without further setback.”

Underwood, 44, has been on death row since 2008. Acting on sexual fantasies, he abducted, raped, and suffocated his 10-year-old neighbor, Jamie Rose Bolin, on April 12, 2006.

In a videotaped confession, the self-proclaimed cannibal admitted he had plotted the crime for months and lured Bolin into his apartment under the pretense of playing with his pet rat. After killing her, he placed her body in a plastic tub, which was later discovered by the FBI. "Go ahead and arrest me," Underwood told an agent at the scene. "She’s in there. I hit her and chopped her up. I’m going to burn in hell.”

Underwood’s attorneys argue he is severely mentally ill and has cited a recent autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in their clemency plea. They also blame his actions on childhood abuse, internet consumption, and pornography addiction.

Bolin’s family has submitted victim impact statements urging the board to deny clemency, calling Underwood a “monster” and stating, “You, Kevin Underwood, do not deserve clemency.”

If the board recommends clemency, Gov. Stitt will make the final decision. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a last-minute stay for Underwood's clemency hearing scheduled for Dec. 9.