State Rep leaves voicemail containing threats for private citizen

OKLAHOMA CITY — Fox 25 has obtained a voicemail, left by state representative Mark McBride, containing threats, and foul language. The man who received that message brought it to Fox 25 Investigates. The message is two minutes and twenty seconds long and is directed at a former employee who McBride accuses of "bad mouthing" his company and using his company's name to solicit customers.

Click here to listen to the entire voicemail or read the transcript of the call.

"I've got more f***ing stroke than, you have no idea you have no idea, I am personally going to make your life miserable ....you've badmouthed my name around" the voicemail said as Fox 25 played his own words for State Representative Mark McBride, (R-Moore). "Buddy you screw with me and I am going to get even and I'm getting even," McBride's voice said on the voicemail.

The message was given to Fox 25 by a former employee of McBride's private construction business. The call was made May 12, 2015 and, according to records from the Oklahoma House of Representatives, was recorded just minutes after the House wrapped up its morning work.

"I am a citizen legislator," McBride told Fox 25 about the call, "I have a company here that I've worked hard to build and protect and I've got a guy...have you checked this guy's background?"

Fox 25 did check and the man, who we'll call "RM," because he doesn't want his face shown, was once McBride's paid employee and does have a felony conviction in Oklahoma. In 2014 he pled guilty to driving under the influence and eluding police while in possession of cocaine. Prosecutors agreed to an 8-year suspended sentence at the beginning of this year, which means he won't go to prison if he stays out of trouble. The most recent case filing earlier this month includes a report indicating good behavior and credits for community service.

"It's pretty, pretty scary you've got somebody in such a position of power that they can do anything they want," RM told Fox 25.

Although RM didn't want us to show his face, he did talk to us about the voicemail. RM says he didn't "bad mouth" McBride to McBride's customers. He's now working for a new construction company.

McBride says he hired RM because he was down on his luck and he wanted to give him a hand up. Now he left a voicemail message that said, "You ran my company down, my sons down, me down so now you get ready because you're going to jail. And I'm going to keep you there. Every time you get out, I'm going to find out and I'm going to get you put back in."

"Yeah, I did the wrong thing," McBride told Fox 25, "I shouldn't have blowed up and probably said some of the things, but the message is still the same."

After leaving McBride Construction, RM did do odd jobs for a man he met while working for McBride Construction. James Schroeder told Fox 25 he reached out to RM and asked him to do some work.

McBride brought up Schroeder on his voicemail. "You screwed with the wrong guy when you called and runwhen you met with the Schroeders and ran my business down. Do not showI'm telling youyou, you might outta go back to Texas, because you screwed with the wrong guy," McBride's voicemail said.

We asked McBride about Schroeder and if he did call McBride about RM. "That's neither here nor there this is about me and him [RM]," McBride said refusing to answer questions about Schroeder or why he used his name in the voicemail.

Schroeder said he wasn't 'stolen' from McBride construction and he voluntarily hired RM, knowing he was in between full-time employment. He says it is a decision he is glad he made. "You're dang right I do. I don't pay, I don't help people that don't help themselves and I knew he helped himself."

"He helped me out," RM said of Schroeder's paying him as a handyman, "But honestly I did it for free and then he helped me out and then he said he had a couple of other things I could do so I felt like it was a blessing."

"He [RM] does not belong, him or anybody like him does not belong in the City of Moore," McBride said. However, he would not answer questions about why he hired someone who he told on a voicemail to now "pack your sh** and get out of Oklahoma."

McBride also refused to answer why, if he believes RM needs to be prosecuted why he was encouraging him to now leave the state. After asking these questions, McBride stood up and ended the interview with Fox 25, saying "Ok, that's the end of the story."

McBride says if he wasn't an elected state representative this wouldn't be a story and he would be free to say whatever he wanted. Before ending the interview he told Fox 25, "Take his word for it and run with your story do whatever you need to do but I passed legislation to protect my constituents."

In 2013 McBride authored legislation that strengthened registration requirements for roofing contractors.

However, that same law contains exemptions for someone who is acting as a handyman doing multiple jobs for a private homeowner.

"I had got a new job and they [McBride] called up there trying to get me to lose my job and everything else. I'm not sure how far he's going to go," RM told Fox 25.

RM's new job is with a competitor to the state representative's private business. He says he is just trying to support his family while making amends for his Oklahoma felony conviction.