Washita County native Brooke Gatlin is excited to announce her election as Washita County’s next Associate District Judge after filing for the position last week, and ultimately running unopposed.
The seat will become vacant due to the upcoming retirement of Judge Chris Kelly.
Gatlin was born Brooke Henderson and was raised in Cordell. She is the daughter of Lori Henderson of Cordell, and David and Allicia Henderson of Hobart. She is the granddaughter of Marvin and Carol Sperle and Dorothy Wortham of Cordell and Annelle and the late Jack Henderson of Hobart.
Gatlin is a proud Blue Devil, Class of 2000. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2004 and went on to acquire her Juris Doctor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 2007.
Gatlin is married to Kyle Gatlin, originally of Sayre, and has 3 children- a 23 year old stepson, Rece Wilhelm, and two daughters, Elanor, age 12, and Audrey, age 14. She also has a one year old grandson, Emerson.
Gatlin in highly involved in her community. She is a member of the First Baptist Church of Cordell where she has served on several committees and is a member of the praise team, regularly helping lead the church’s music service. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Cordell Chamber of Commerce and is currently beginning her second term as President of the Board. She can be regularly seen at Chamber functions including running the Car Show at the annual Pumpkin Festival and selling tickets and concessions at the Washita Theater.
Gatlin is a dedicated public servant who has spent her entire professional career seeking to better the communities in which she has lived. She began her legal career while in undergraduate school where she worked as a legal secretary for a small law firm in Oklahoma City while attending classes in the evenings.
Upon admission into Law School she worked as an intern with the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office. This experience provided a wealth of knowledge and experience in criminal and constitutional law. It was during this time that Gatlin felt called to public service, specifically as a voice for the victims of crime.
After graduation, Gatlin went to work for Oklahoma Child Support Services in south Oklahoma City. In 2012, Ms. Gatlin and her family were given the opportunity to come back to Western Oklahoma, moving to Weatherford.
Gatlin joined the District Two District Attorney’s Office in July, 2012. Initially, she worked primarily in the Custer County DA’s Office, quickly specializing in sex crimes, child victim crimes, domestic violence and juvenile law. Gatlin and her family moved home to Cordell in 2015 and she took over the Washita County District Attorney’s Office.
“It has been the great honor of my life,” says Gatlin. “Every morning, as I walk in to work, I am sort of in awe of the opportunity that I have been given to serve this community that helped shape me in to the person I am today.”
Gatlin prosecutes all criminal matters in Washita County, from traffic tickets to homicides, handles juvenile cases and assists with providing legal advice to County Officials. She also continues to maintain a caseload in Custer County including the juvenile docket in addition to child abuse and sexual abuse cases. Gatlin sits on the teams for both the Washita-Custer County Treatment Court and the Custer-Washita County Family Treatment Court and is a fierce advocate for these healing programs and their impact on our communities. She also serves as a member of the area Child Protection Team and the Coordinated Community Response Team.