Content warning: This article describes intimate partner violence. Please take care while reading. Oklahoma State Representative Ty Burns, a MAGA Republican representing House District 35 in northeast Oklahoma since 2018, has received what some call a light sentence for a pair of shocking domestic violence incidents. One of them involved an attempt to gouge his wife’s eye out, and in the other, he chased a vehicle carrying his teenage daughter off the road. On August 28, 2025, Burns pleaded guilty in Pawnee County District Court to one misdemeanor count of domestic abuse and two misdemeanor counts of assault. On Thanksgiving 2024, Burns tried to gouge his wife’s eye out with his finger, and in April 2025, he drove his pickup truck into a van carrying his teenage daughter and her grandmother who was driving. According to reports, Burns attacked his wife over an argument that began because Burns’s wife had plans with friends, and he became angry and controlling. Burns will spend no time behind bars JUST IN: Oklahoma State Rep. Ty Burns (R-Morrison) just submitted a letter of resignation, officially resigning his seat pleading guilty to multiple counts of domestic violence.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: https://t.co/oFJ4ib9MAz@kfor pic.twitter.com/xFgXSHptoh— Spencer Humphrey (@SHumphreyTV) August 30, 2025 After Burns’ guilty plea, Judge Patrick Pickerill handed down concurrent one-year suspended sentences on each count. As part of his sentence, Burns must complete a 52-week “Batterer’s Intervention Program,” but faces no jail time, provided he complies with court-mandated conditions. Under existing Oklahoma law, the Attorney General’s office later clarified that they had no legitimate justification for a felony charge in this particular case for a first-time offender with a clean record. Burns stepped down days after the guilty plea Days after the guilty plea, on August 30, Burns announced his resignation effective October 1, 2025, stating that stepping down was in the “best interest of the people I serve… and, most importantly, my family.” In his resignation letter, Burns said he was seeking counseling with his family and undergoing treatment for issues related to his military service. Burns, a decorated veteran with 20 years of service—including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and recipient of a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry Badge—had also served as chair of the Oklahoma House Appropriations and Budget Finance Subcommittee. He stepped down from that leadership role following his guilty plea, stating his intent to “focus on my family and serving my constituents.” Joining other state leaders, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called for Burns to resign from office. Stitt stated, “Domestic violence is a serious crime and should be treated as such,” and noted that an elected official “should be fully focused on rehabilitation.” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who assumed the case after the Pawnee County District Attorney recused himself, described the charges as “serious,” yet said he took encouragement from Burns taking responsibility and entering counseling under the terms of his sentence. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert thanked Burns for acknowledging responsibility while stressing that the House of Representatives will not tolerate domestic violence of any kind. If you are experiencing domestic abuse, or if you believe someone you know is being abused, contact The National Domestic Violence Hotline. The hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-SAFE or spoken with online via the hotline’s website. Mobile phone owners can also text “START” to the number 88788.