diff --git a/examples/server/server.c b/examples/server/server.c
index 713963a7f..a64f2cfda 100644
--- a/examples/server/server.c
+++ b/examples/server/server.c
@@ -984,7 +984,13 @@ THREAD_RETURN WOLFSSL_THREAD server_test(void* args)
                     myVerifyFail = 1;
                 }
                 else if (XSTRNCMP(myoptarg, "loadSSL", 7) == 0) {
-                    printf("Load cert/key into wolfSSL object\n");
+                    printf("Also load cert/key into wolfSSL object\n");
+                #ifndef NO_CERTS
+                    loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj = 2;
+                #endif
+                }
+                else if (XSTRNCMP(myoptarg, "loadSSLOnly", 11) == 0) {
+                    printf("Only load cert/key into wolfSSL object\n");
                 #ifndef NO_CERTS
                     loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj = 1;
                 #endif
@@ -1387,7 +1393,7 @@ THREAD_RETURN WOLFSSL_THREAD server_test(void* args)
 #endif
 
 #if !defined(NO_CERTS)
-    if ((!usePsk || usePskPlus) && !useAnon && !loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj) {
+    if ((!usePsk || usePskPlus) && !useAnon && !(loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj == 1)) {
     #ifndef TEST_LOAD_BUFFER
         if (SSL_CTX_use_certificate_chain_file(ctx, ourCert)
                                          != WOLFSSL_SUCCESS)
@@ -1428,7 +1434,8 @@ THREAD_RETURN WOLFSSL_THREAD server_test(void* args)
     #ifdef HAVE_PK_CALLBACKS
         pkCbInfo.ourKey = ourKey;
     #endif
-    if (!useNtruKey && (!usePsk || usePskPlus) && !useAnon && !loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj
+    if (!useNtruKey && (!usePsk || usePskPlus) && !useAnon
+        && !(loadCertKeyIntoSSLObj == 1)
     #if defined(HAVE_PK_CALLBACKS) && defined(TEST_PK_PRIVKEY)
         && !pkCallbacks
     #endif /* HAVE_PK_CALLBACKS && TEST_PK_PRIVKEY */
diff --git a/scripts/ocsp-stapling2.test b/scripts/ocsp-stapling2.test
index 87ce20319..c4c2df13b 100755
--- a/scripts/ocsp-stapling2.test
+++ b/scripts/ocsp-stapling2.test
@@ -354,6 +354,23 @@ CLI_PORT=`cat $ready_file5`
 RESULT=$?
 [ $RESULT -ne 1 ] && printf '\n\n%s\n' "Client connection suceeded $RESULT" && exit 1
 printf '%s\n\n' "Test successfully REVOKED!"
+printf '%s\n\n' "------------- TEST CASE 7 LOAD CERT IN SSL -------------------"
+remove_single_rF $ready_file5
+./examples/server/server -c certs/ocsp/server1-cert.pem \
+                         -k certs/ocsp/server1-key.pem -R $ready_file5 \
+                         -p $resume_port -H loadSSL &
+wolf_pid=$!
+wait_for_readyFile $ready_file5
+CLI_PORT=`cat $ready_file5`
+echo "test connection" | openssl s_client -status -connect 127.0.0.1:$CLI_PORT -cert ./certs/client-cert.pem -key ./certs/client-key.pem -CAfile ./certs/ocsp/root-ca-cert.pem
+RESULT=$?
+[ $RESULT -ne 0 ] && printf '\n\n%s\n' "Client connection failed $RESULT" && exit 1
+wait $wolf_pid
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+    printf '%s\n' "Unexpected server result"
+    exit 1
+fi
+printf '%s\n\n' "Test successful"
 printf '%s\n\n' "------------------- TESTS COMPLETE ---------------------------"
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/src/internal.c b/src/internal.c
index bc9c6a255..e43bd0653 100644
--- a/src/internal.c
+++ b/src/internal.c
@@ -14163,6 +14163,11 @@ int SendFinished(WOLFSSL* ssl)
         (defined(HAVE_CERTIFICATE_STATUS_REQUEST) || \
          defined(HAVE_CERTIFICATE_STATUS_REQUEST_V2))) || \
     (defined(WOLFSSL_TLS13) && defined(HAVE_CERTIFICATE_STATUS_REQUEST))
+/* Parses and decodes the certificate then initializes "request". In the case
+ * of !ssl->buffers.weOwnCert, ssl->ctx->certOcspRequest gets set to "request".
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success
+ */
 static int CreateOcspRequest(WOLFSSL* ssl, OcspRequest* request,
                              DecodedCert* cert, byte* certData, word32 length)
 {
@@ -14197,18 +14202,29 @@ static int CreateOcspRequest(WOLFSSL* ssl, OcspRequest* request,
 }
 
 
+/* Creates OCSP response and places it in variable "response". Memory
+ * management for "buffer* response" is up to the caller.
+ *
+ * Also creates an OcspRequest in the case that ocspRequest is null or that
+ * ssl->buffers.weOwnCert is set. In those cases managing ocspRequest free'ing
+ * is up to the caller. NOTE: in OcspCreateRequest ssl->ctx->certOcspRequest can
+ * be set to point to "ocspRequest" and it then should not be free'd since
+ * wolfSSL_CTX_free will take care of it.
+ *
+ * Returns 0 on success
+ */
 int CreateOcspResponse(WOLFSSL* ssl, OcspRequest** ocspRequest,
                        buffer* response)
 {
     int          ret = 0;
-    OcspRequest* request;
+    OcspRequest* request = NULL;
+    byte createdRequest  = 0;
 
     if (ssl == NULL || ocspRequest == NULL || response == NULL)
         return BAD_FUNC_ARG;
 
-    request = *ocspRequest;
-
     XMEMSET(response, 0, sizeof(*response));
+    request = *ocspRequest;
 
     /* unable to fetch status. skip. */
     if (ssl->ctx->cm == NULL || ssl->ctx->cm->ocspStaplingEnabled == 0)
@@ -14237,16 +14253,17 @@ int CreateOcspResponse(WOLFSSL* ssl, OcspRequest** ocspRequest,
         if (request == NULL)
             ret = MEMORY_E;
 
+        createdRequest = 1;
         if (ret == 0) {
             ret = CreateOcspRequest(ssl, request, cert, der->buffer,
                                                                    der->length);
         }
 
-        if (request != NULL && ret != 0) {
-            FreeOcspRequest(request);
+        if (ret != 0) {
             XFREE(request, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP_REQUEST);
             request = NULL;
         }
+
     #ifdef WOLFSSL_SMALL_STACK
         XFREE(cert, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_DCERT);
     #endif
@@ -14264,7 +14281,14 @@ int CreateOcspResponse(WOLFSSL* ssl, OcspRequest** ocspRequest,
         }
     }
 
-    *ocspRequest = request;
+    /* free request up if error case found otherwise return it */
+    if (ret != 0 && createdRequest) {
+        FreeOcspRequest(request);
+        XFREE(request, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP_REQUEST);
+    }
+
+    if (ret == 0)
+        *ocspRequest = request;
 
     return ret;
 }
@@ -14826,13 +14850,21 @@ int SendCertificateStatus(WOLFSSL* ssl)
             buffer response;
 
             ret = CreateOcspResponse(ssl, &request, &response);
+
+            /* if a request was successfully created and not stored in
+             * ssl->ctx then free it */
+            if (ret == 0 && request != ssl->ctx->certOcspRequest) {
+                FreeOcspRequest(request);
+                XFREE(request, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP_REQUEST);
+                request = NULL;
+            }
+
             if (ret == 0 && response.buffer) {
                 ret = BuildCertificateStatus(ssl, status_type, &response, 1);
 
                 XFREE(response.buffer, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP_REQUEST);
                 response.buffer = NULL;
             }
-
             break;
         }
 
@@ -14849,6 +14881,15 @@ int SendCertificateStatus(WOLFSSL* ssl)
             XMEMSET(responses, 0, sizeof(responses));
 
             ret = CreateOcspResponse(ssl, &request, &responses[0]);
+
+            /* if a request was successfully created and not stored in
+             * ssl->ctx then free it */
+            if (ret == 0 && request != ssl->ctx->certOcspRequest) {
+                FreeOcspRequest(request);
+                XFREE(request, ssl->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP_REQUEST);
+                request = NULL;
+            }
+
             if (ret == 0 && (!ssl->ctx->chainOcspRequest[0]
                                               || ssl->buffers.weOwnCertChain)) {
                 buffer der;
diff --git a/src/ocsp.c b/src/ocsp.c
index 5a2bd9138..6afb8e458 100644
--- a/src/ocsp.c
+++ b/src/ocsp.c
@@ -199,6 +199,10 @@ static int GetOcspEntry(WOLFSSL_OCSP* ocsp, OcspRequest* request,
 }
 
 
+/* Mallocs responseBuffer->buffer and is up to caller to free on success
+ *
+ * Returns OCSP status
+ */
 static int GetOcspStatus(WOLFSSL_OCSP* ocsp, OcspRequest* request,
                   OcspEntry* entry, CertStatus** status, buffer* responseBuffer)
 {
@@ -452,6 +456,10 @@ int CheckOcspRequest(WOLFSSL_OCSP* ocsp, OcspRequest* ocspRequest,
     request = (byte*)XMALLOC(requestSz, ocsp->cm->heap, DYNAMIC_TYPE_OCSP);
     if (request == NULL) {
         WOLFSSL_LEAVE("CheckCertOCSP", MEMORY_ERROR);
+        if (responseBuffer) {
+            XFREE(responseBuffer->buffer, NULL, DYNAMIC_TYPE_TMP_BUFFER);
+            responseBuffer->buffer = NULL;
+        }
         return MEMORY_ERROR;
     }
 
@@ -474,6 +482,11 @@ int CheckOcspRequest(WOLFSSL_OCSP* ocsp, OcspRequest* ocspRequest,
     if (response != NULL && ocsp->cm->ocspRespFreeCb)
         ocsp->cm->ocspRespFreeCb(ioCtx, response);
 
+    if (responseBuffer && ret != 0 ) {
+        XFREE(responseBuffer->buffer, NULL, DYNAMIC_TYPE_TMP_BUFFER);
+        responseBuffer->buffer = NULL;
+    }
+
     WOLFSSL_LEAVE("CheckOcspRequest", ret);
     return ret;
 }