A drop of molten plastic landed on Ernesto Akothe’s back as he slept. 

He was inside a tent in a wooded area in Harrah with his girlfriend lying beside him. The couple had been without permanent housing for more than 10 years, sleeping in a car or camping in a private spot deep in the forest. 

The small fire he lit to keep warm on that brisk winter night had spread to the flaps of the tent. And the flames were melting it with the couple inside. 

“I almost burned alive,” Akothe recounted. 

Akothe woke with a start. He pulled frantically at the lock he’d put on the zipper, but it was taking too long to open. He ripped a hole in the tent so they could escape. The couple watched from a few feet away as their possessions were reduced to ash. 

Ernesto believed the tent fire was a sign from God that he needed to make a change. He completed drug treatment. Joined a church. Took up odd jobs and bought a fixer-upper trailer home for cheap. And began dreaming of a future where he could use his experiences to help others. 

The Frontier Watchdogs

Never miss an investigation that changes Oklahoma.

Independent investigative journalism delivered free to your inbox.

Email address

Always free. Never a paywall.

Leave this field empty if you're human:

But Akothe’s prior convictions for driving with a suspended license and drug possession came with over $25,000 in court fines and fees that hung over him like a dark cloud. Few places will hire someone with a record, he said, and his court debt prevented him from improving his economic status. 

Two years after the tent fire, Akothe walked into the Pottawatomie County courthouse expecting to leave in handcuffs. He had a hearing in front of a judge over his fines and fees, which he had no hope of paying. Defendants were routinely arrested for failing to pay fines and fees before a recent change in state law. Ernesto thought he would go to jail.  

Defendants in criminal cases in Oklahoma pay dozens of fines and fees to keep the state’s criminal justice system running. In Pottawatomie County, fees are tacked on for each night a person spends in jail if convicted. State law allows judges to order jail time if the court determines a defendant can afford their fines and fees but willfully refuses or neglects to pay. Oklahomans can also have their driver’s licenses suspended if they don’t pay their court debts. 

For many poor defendants, fines and fees can become a “life sentence,” said Ed Wunch, an attorney with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma who represents people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a lawyer.

He and other attorneys for Legal Aid Services travel around the state, advocating for judges to clear fines and fees for people without permanent housing, unable to work or relying on food stamps and housing assistance to make ends meet.

“My job is to convince courts that poor people don’t have money,” Wunch said. 

In a small room adjoining the Pottawatomie County courtroom in November 2025, Wunch and legal interns handed out forms for defendants to complete, asking questions to gauge their ability to pay fines and fees, including their employment history and whether they receive food stamps or other federal benefits. The forms help Wunch make the case for a judge to forgive their court debts. 

Akothe checked one of the boxes to qualify: He made below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level, according to court documents. Within an hour, the judge cleared his debt. 

Akothe and his pastor, Jerry Gray, who was with him at court that day, broke down in tears when Wunch told them the news. 

“Now he can begin living again,” Gray said. They planned to have a big breakfast at the diner across the street to celebrate. 

The Pottawatomie County judge waived a total of $97,233 that day from 10 defendants. 

“Some of them are living on the streets,” said Stephanie Lee-Huff, a paralegal with Legal Aid who helped track the tally. “Why not waive their fines and fees and give them an opportunity to be a better person than they were in the past?” 

Legal Aid attorneys rely on a state law created by House Bill 2259 in 2023, which requires judges to consider a defendant’s ability to pay fines and fees. If the defendant receives some kinds of government assistance like food stamp benefits or makes below 150% of the poverty level, the judge must reduce their debt or clear it completely. 

But judges across the state haven’t applied the law evenly, The Frontier and KOSU previously reported. 

Oklahoma County Special District Judge April Collins rejected one man’s request to have his fines and fees waived, reasoning that attorneys had not provided sufficient proof, when asked by Collins, that the 2023 law is constitutional. The man has appealed the ruling.

Judges in Oklahoma County are not waiving fines and fees for any defendant while the legal challenge is pending. Collins and her attorney declined to answer questions from The Frontier and KOSU. 

“The law should be an objective standard: You get the same deal in Oklahoma County and Pottawatomie County,” Wunch said. “Seeing the drastically different result shows that it’s not.”

Building a future

Akothe said it was a blessing to have his fines and fees waived.

On an early Sunday morning, just before Thanksgiving 2025, Akothe stood in front of other members of the Emmaus Indian Baptist Church in McCloud. He’s not much of a public speaker, he said, but he wanted to share his story with the small congregation. 

It had been less than a week since the  Pottawatomie County judge waived his fines and fees. 

“I was chained up,” he said. “I keep telling myself, man, when I get old, I’m going to go impound my walker or something for my last payment.” 

Akothe’s early life was marked by loss. His mother was killed when he was six years old, and by the time he was 13, he’d started using drugs to cope with her death and other hardships. He had little hope for the future, he said. 

His life has changed. Krystal Jones, the girlfriend who was with him during the tent fire and is now his wife, and her son sat in the pews during his testimony, wiping away tears. Following the service, the family joined other churchgoers for a community potluck behind the chapel.

Akothe said he’s excited for the future. A friend is helping him start the process of clearing his criminal record to make it easier to find work and so he can take a mission trip outside the country.  

One day, he plans to open a sober living house in McCloud to guide others on the path to recovery. He knows what a difference forgiveness and a supportive community can make. 

Akothe and Jones said more Oklahomans should have an opportunity to build a future without crippling fines and fees. 

“If you want someone to change,” Jones said. “Then help them change.”