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Archive for the ‘OKLAHOMA’ Category
20 Additional Charges Filed Against Woodward County Oklahoma Sheriff Leslie Morton
June 24th, 2008
WOODWARD COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - More state charges have been filed against Woodward County Sheriff Leslie Morton.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office announced Thursday it had filed 20 charges that mirror accusations in a grand jury indictment issued in March.
In addition, Edmondson’s office filed seven more counts against the sheriff, alleging embezzlement by using a county vehicle and fuel card for personal use.
Edmondson said dismissal of the indictment and filing of the charges will avoid any attempt to make the grand jury an issue in the case.
A hearing has not been set on an effort to remove Morton from office for alleged corruption and willful neglect of duty. Appeared Here
Moore Oklahoma High Speed Police Pursuit Ends In Oklahoma City, Results In Death And Property Damage
June 24th, 2008
MOORE, OKLAHOMA - A man killed in a high speed chase with law enforcement officers has been identified as Robert N. Brooke, 24, Oklahoma City.
Brooke was killed during a 16-minute chase that started in Moore and ended in Edmond when his pickup overturned on a curve, officials said.
The man was thrown from his overturned pickup and died at the scene, said Moore police Sgt. Todd Strickland.
Moore police first learned of Brooke after Oklahoma City police answered a domestic call between the man and his fiance, Amanda Shepard, of Oklahoma City.
Shepard told police she feared for the lives of herself and the couple’s 7-month-old child. Oklahoma City officers escorted Shepard to a relative’s home in Moore and requested additional patrol in the area, Strickland said.
About 20 minutes later, Strickland said, Brooke was spotted about a block away from the house where Shepard was staying. The high speed chase began when the officer tried to stop Brooke, Strickland said.
Read MoreNew Charges Filed Against Muscogee Oklahoma Police Officer Kris Ledford - Caught On Tape Stealing Scanner From Radio Shack, Stealing Guns From Evidence, Posing As A Tulsa Officer And Picking Up A Safe - Now Charged With Stealing Officer’s Bulletproof Vest And Selling It.
June 24th, 2008
MUSCOGEE, OKLAHOMA - A Muskogee police officer faces new charges. Kris Ledford is already charged with stealing guns from the Muskogee Police Department’s property room.
News On 6’s crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports Ledford is now accused of taking a fellow officer’s bullet proof vest and selling it to a deputy in Cherokee County. He also faces criminal charges in Tulsa.
The News On 6’s Lori Fullbright has interviewed Kris Ledford and talked to him on the phone several times. She reports he’s a husband and the father of a toddler girl. The people she has talked to agree, and say this is a bad deal, not just for him, but for the reputation of police officers all over Green Country.
Tulsa Police say it was a surveillance tape that started unraveling it all. They say it shows Muskogee Officer Kris Ledford and his friend, Shawn Busby, inside a Tulsa Radio Shack on May 1st, as Busby steals a police scanner.
Read MoreFormer Justice Department Oklahoma “Wee And Seed” Program Director Pat Paige Gets A Slap On The Wrist After Stealing Money From Progam
June 20th, 2008
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - The former director of a Justice Department program intended to reduce crime has been sentended to prison for stealing money from it.
U.S. Attorney David O’Meilia says 48-year-old Pat Paige was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison Thursday on a series of 13 convictions. Paige was found guilty of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements to the Justice Department and a financial institution.
Paige had been the director of a Weed and Seed program in Lawton intended to cut down on crime and start social programs in the community.
O’Meilia says federal grant money was diverted through a nonprofit organization, and Paige then used the money for personal expenses on the nonprofit’s credit card.
Paige is to report to prison on Aug. 27, and she will also serve three years of probation after her release.
Read MoreEstate Of Mentally Ill Man Shot And Killed By Owasso Oklahoma Police Officers Shane Davis And Michael Barnes Awarded $300,000
June 19th, 2008
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Officials in Owasso and the estate of a mentally ill man have settled a federal lawsuit over the man’s August 2002 shooting death by police.
Owasso City Attorney Julie Lombardi says insurance coverage for the city will cover the $300,000 settlement in the case of Todd Thomas Hastings.
Hastings was shot and killed by officers Shane Davis and Michael Barnes in August 2002 when they responded to a call of a man threatening suicide and found Hastings with a samurai sword.
The officers say they opened fire after Hastings refused to drop the sword. The two say they shot in self defense and investigators ruled the shooting to be justified.
But a federal appeals court found the officers cornered Hastings in his bedroom then issued loud and forceful commands and pepper-sprayed him which the court says led to the shooting.
Read MoreEmbezzlement Charges Against Former Wagoner County Oklahoma District Attorney Richard Gray Suddenly Disappear During Criminal Trial
June 15th, 2008
WAGONER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - There are new Developments in the case against a former Northeast Oklahoma District Attorney. Richard Gray served as DA in Wagoner, Adair, Cherokee and Sequoyah counties.
He was on trial for embezzlement last week, but in the middle of the trial the judge dropped the charges against him saying prosecutors failed to prove their case.
The Attorney General’s office is appealing the judge’s decision.
Gray was accused of stealing money seized in drug raids. He says he didn’t do it and instead blames a former investigator.
Read MoreSuspended Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Jason Wayne Henry Gets A Special Deal And Slap On The Wrist After Attacking His Girlfriend In Domestic Violence Incident
June 14th, 2008
GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA - An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper has pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor simple assault charge stemming from an altercation with his live-in girlfriend.
According to court records, 33-year-old Jason Wayne Henry received a 60-day deferred sentence Friday in Logan County District Court.
The Guthrie resident was arrested New Year’s Day following a dispute with Eileen Dixon,
Henry, who is assigned to Logan County, has been on administrative leave with pay.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Chris West said Henry won’t be working while serving his deferred sentence.
Special prosecutor George Burnett said before the sentencing he required Henry to have domestic violence and substance abuse evaluations and complete an anger management class.
60 To 70 Guns, Police Scanners, And Silencers Seized From Muskogee Oklahoma Police Officer Kris Ledford’s Home After His Arrest For Impersonating A Tulsa Police Officer
June 14th, 2008
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - A Muskogee crime scene investigator has been jailed after police seized dozens of guns from his home.
Muskogee Police Chief Rex Eskridge says 30-year-old Kris Ledford is being held without bond at an undisclosed location until his first court appearance Monday. Eskridge says Ledford is being kept away from other prisoners and he is on suicide watch.
Police are working to determine the origin of the 60 to 70 guns that were found at Ledford’s home in Broken Arrow.
Deputy Police Chief Johnny Teehee says investigators are trying to find out whether the guns, police scanners and silencers were embezzled from the police department.
Ledford was arrested Thursday on a warrant for a misdemeanor charge of impersonating a Tulsa police officer.
Muskogee Oklahoma Police Officer Inv. Kris Ledford Charged With Impersonating A Tulsa Police Officer. Other Charge Pending.
June 13th, 2008
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Tulsa Police issued a misdemeanor arrest warrant Thursday for Muskogee Police Investigator Kris Ledford.
A Tulsa County district judge set bond at $25,000 for Ledford, 30, on the charge of impersonating a Tulsa Police Officer.
Ledford’s attorney, Chad Richardson, said Ledford plans to turn himself in to Tulsa police today, accompanied by a bondsman.
Ledford has an alibi for the time of the alleged impersonation that involves about 150 witnesses, Richardson said. Ledford was playing in a band at the Moose Lodge at 11th Street and Garnett in Tulsa.
Tulsa Police allege Ledford flashed a police badge and picked up a safe found in a field near 31st and 145th streets in Tulsa before Tulsa Police officers dispatched to the scene arrived.
Witnesses identified the suspect as having facial hair, but Ledford was on duty earlier that day so could not have had facial hair. He was clean shaven, Richardson said.
Read MoreFormer Delaware County Oklahoma Sheriff Lenden Woodruff Again Arrested For Drunk Driving - Quit After Similar Incident And Arrest In 2004
June 10th, 2008
DELAWARE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - A former Delaware County Sheriff is in trouble again.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers say Lenden Woodruff has been arrested for driving under the influence, carrying a firearm under the influence, transporting an open container of beer and not wearing a seat belt.
Woodruff resigned in 2004 after being arrested on similar charges.
Woodruff later pleaded guilty to DUI and carrying an open container.
Former Camanche Nation Oklahoma Police Chief Ray Anderson Sentenced To Just 5 Months In Federal Prison For Embezzling Money
June 9th, 2008
OKLAHOMA - The former police chief for the Comanche Nation was sentenced today to five months in federal prison.
Ray Anderson stepped down from his post as police chief in March when he admitted to embezzling money meant for the tribe.
Anderson, 55, apologized in federal court in Oklahoma City for abusing the tribe’s trust in him.
“I made a mistake and I’m sorry,” he said.
Anderson was accused of setting up a bank account without the tribe’s approval in November 2004, according to court papers. He deposited money given to the police department into the account, but spent the money on gambling, meals and gifts, prosecutors said. His actions cost the tribe more than $50,000.
Anderson asked U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron not to send him to prison, but the judge said such punishment was necessary to deter other tribal officials or law enforcement officers from committing the same crime.
Read MoreDumbass Kiefer Oklahoma Police Officer Sgt. Les Wilmott Crashes Patrol Car Into Back Of Tractor-Trailer, Dies
May 29th, 2008
OOLOGAH, OKLAHOMA - A Kiefer police officer has been killed in a two-vehicle collision on U.S. 169 near Oologah.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Sgt. Les Wilmott of Oologah died about 12:05 a.m. Thursday when he crashed his patrol car into the rear of a tractor-trailer rig.
The driver and a passenger in the semi were not injured.
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Troopers said they’re still trying to determine why Wilmott drove into the back of the rig.
The Kiefer Police Department’s Web site said the 54-year-old Wilmott has been in law enforcement for about 30 years. He previously served as police chief in Inola and Beggs.
Veteran Oklahoma City Police Officer Det. James Burnett Arrested, Suspended, Charged After Domestic Abuse Incident
May 28th, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - An Oklahoma City police officer is in jail today, accused of domestic abuse.
James Burnett, 47, was arrested at a house in the 6800 block of SW 125, according to a police report.
The victim’s name was blacked out on the report by police, who routinely withhold information about victims of domestic or sexual abuse, citing department policy.
The report states police were called to the residence about 10:30 p.m. Thursday. The victim had injuries on her face, including small cuts on her nose and bruising and swelling around her eyes.
Burnett had cuts on his face that appeared to be from the victim’s fingernails, the report states.
Master Sgt. Gary Knight said the detective has been on the force for 26 years. He said police are investigating the incident.
Burnett has been suspended with pay, Knight said. Appeared Here
Nutcase Oklahoma Highway Patrol Police Officer John Kevin Bradshaw Suspended, Charged With Misdemeanor Assault And Battery After Attacking Child’s Baseball Coach
May 24th, 2008
ENID, OKLAHOMA — Prosecutors accused an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Wednesday of assaulting a high school baseball coach after the lawman’s son didn’t make the team.
John Kevin Bradshaw, 51, was charged in Garfield County District Court with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.
Enid High School baseball coach Scott Baugh told police that after Bradshaw argued with him Monday over his decision not to place Bradshaw’s son on the team, the trooper grabbed him around the neck with both hands and threw him into a hitting net, according to a police report.
The report indicates no injury was observed around Baugh’s neck.
Baugh also told police he wanted the Bradshaw to stay away from him and stop calling him at home.
Bradshaw refused to give police a written statement, the report notes.
Read MorePreviously Disgraced Former Tulsa Oklahoma Police Officer Darin Filak Under Investigation After Recent Demotion
May 21st, 2008
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - The former president of Tulsa’s police union is the focus of another internal investigation after his recent demotion.
A new investigation was launched Monday after a car crashed into Officer Darin Filak’s unmarked police car.
Police Chief Ron Palmer said the department is investigating why Filak, who is on light — or limited — duty because of an injury, was driving the police car at the time. Policy requires that officers on limited duty obtain permission to drive police cars.
Palmer recently demoted Filak from corporal to officer for conduct unbecoming an officer after an internal investigation revealed that he had rigged a lottery assigning seniority to recent police academy graduates, Palmer said.
Filak was accused of giving preferential treatment to a rookie officer who is the wife of another Tulsa officer.
Filak is appealing the disciplinary action, Palmer said.
Nutcase Oklahoma State Trooper Attacks Children’s Baseball Coach
May 21st, 2008
According to a police report, the trooper decided to confront the coach at David Allen Memorial Ballpark on Monday night.
The coach told police the trooper snapped, grabbing him by the neck and pushing him into a net.
Prosecutors are looking into whether charges will be filed against the trooper, who has not yet been identified. Sources told Eyewitness News 5 that the trooper at one time worked as part of Gov. Brad Henry’s security detail.
The name of the coach involved in the incident has not been released. However, the police report indicated that he is a coach for a Prairie League summer team for Enid students.
The trooper was not and has not been arrested. An OHP spokesman told Eyewitness News 5 that the patrol is aware of the allegations and is awaiting a decision by the Garfield County district attorney. Appeared Here
Gracemont Oklahoma Police Officer Garri Don McClure Arrested, Fired, Charged After Seeking Sex From A Child - Eakley Police Chief Reydon Clay Recker Suspended Indefinitely After Drunk Driving Arrest
May 15th, 2008
ANADARKO, OKLAHOMA - One Caddo County police chief has been fired and another has been suspended indefinitely after both ran afoul of the law recently.
Prosecutors have charged 35-year-old Garri Don McClure of Gracemont with making lewd and indecent proposals to a child under 16.
McClure is accused of making sexual propositions to a 15-year-old girl. He surrendered to authorities yesterday and was fired on a 4 to 0 vote by the town council.
Authorities say McClure admitted to investigators he used text messages to solicit sex with a 15-year-old girl in his community.
In Eakly, the town council voted 3 to 0 to indefinitely suspend Police Chief Reydon Clay Recker after he was charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
Read MoreGrand Jury Calls For Removal Of Woodward County Oklahoma Sheriff Leslie Morton Amid Indictment On 20 Counts
May 13th, 2008
WOODWARD COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - A Woodward County grand jury is calling for removal of the county sheriff on accusations including filing bogus travel claims and willful neglect of duty, Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.
Woodward County Sheriff Leslie Morton is named in a 20-count indictment unsealed this morning in Woodward County District Court for allegedly filing false, fictitious or fraudulent claims between July 2003 and February 2005. The grand jury alleges these false claims totaled about $10,000. The indictment includes 20 alternative counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain property by trick or deception, false statements or pretenses.
The grand jury’s accusation for removal, also unsealed this morning, accuses Morton of corruption in office and willful neglect of duty. Morton is accused of willful neglect of duty for allegedly refusing to address costs incurred for the housing of Woodward County inmates in the Woods County Jail and for conduct “inconsistent with conduct becoming the chief law enforcement officer.” The corruption in office allegations mirror the false claims charges in the criminal indictment.
Read MoreTulsa County Oklahoma Judge Jesse Harris, Charged After Exposing Himself To Women In Parking Lot, Says Prosecutors Are Trying To Force Him From Office
May 9th, 2008
Busted Judge Jesse Harris
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Washington County prosecutors who charged Tulsa County District Judge Jesse Harris with indecent exposure filed a court document Thursday in which they deny trying to force him to resign from office.
In a response to a motion seeking to disqualify the Washington County District Attorney’s Office from the case, First Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Cerda asserts that a “brazen accusation of unethical conduct” against Washington County prosecutors “is reprehensible and totally unsupported.”
Washington County District Attorney Rick Esser “was appointed to this case precisely because he is disinterested,” Cerda’s filing states.
Harris, 53, was charged April 24 with exposing himself to two women — one of them his ex-girlfriend — in the parking lot of a Tulsa hotel on March 9.
His attorneys say Harris spoke to his former girlfriend from his car and then left.
Read MoreVeteran Durant Oklahoma Police Officer Lt. Johnny Rutherfod Arrested, Suspended, Charged With Burglary Of Pharmacy
May 9th, 2008
DURANT, OKLAHOMA - A longtime Durant police officer has been charged in connection with the burglary of a local pharmacy.
Lt. Johnny Rutherford, who has been on the Durant force for almost 20 years, was charged Tuesday with second-degree burglary, a felony. Police Chief Durward Cook said Rutherford is suspected of burglarizing the pharmacy in an attempt to steal prescription pills.
Cook said Rutherford, 41, had been on personal leave in an unrelated matter but now is on administrative leave until the case has been resolved. Rutherford was due to retire from the police department later this year.
Rutherford turned himself in to Cook at the police department on Tuesday and was arrested. Rutherford posted bail and was released.
The break-in at the pharmacy occurred on Nov. 27. Cook said the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation took over the case after Durant police learned that an officer was suspected in the burglary.
Read MoreInvestigation Finds That Tulsa Oklahoma Firetruck Was Speeding When It Crashed
May 9th, 2008
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - Unsafe speed on a curve was a contributing factor in a crash that injured three Tulsa firefighters Tuesday morning, police determined, but a dip on Gilcrease Museum Road is what sent the firetruck careening on its side into a yard.
Engine 4 was headed to a motor vehicle accident downtown when it hit a guardrail on Gilcrease Museum Road and then struck two utility poles, a stop sign and a pickup that was parked in a driveway on Easton Place.
The three firefighters on board were released from the hospital by late Tuesday, Fire Capt. Larry Bowles said.
A police accident report identifies the driver as Kevin Eugene Horner, 31, and the other two firefighters as David Jason Patrick, 37, and Jeremy Phillip Agee, 25.
The firetruck had its lights and sirens on at the time of the accident, Bowles said, and Horner is certified as a relief driver who has been through the appropriate training.
Read MoreFormer Oklahoma City Attorney Robert Michael Behlen Pleads Guilty After Robbing Pharmacy - Jumped From Hospital After His 2007 Arrest
May 9th, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — A troubled ex-attorney who jumped from a hospital ledge after his arrest has pleaded guilty to the 2007 armed robbery of an Edmond pharmacy.
Robert Michael Behlen entered his plea on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City. The 51-year-old faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced in a few months.
Behlen walked with a pronounced limp in court, the result of a fractured pelvis and dislocated hip he suffered when he leaped 30 feet from a hospital window Sept. 27.
Behlen was arrested Sept. 18 after he demanded painkillers and held Barrett Drug Center employees at gunpoint during the robbery.
According to court papers, the Edmond resident swallowed as many as a dozen pills before leaving with about $7,000 worth of prescription drugs.
Wanted: Blackwell Oklahoma Police Videos Banned From YouTube - Officer John Mitchell
May 6th, 2008
BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA - Blackwell is claiming “copyright” on public records in order to suppress videos of crazed police officer John Mitchell’s attacks on citizens. Get the videos to us, we’ll publish them here and there’s nothing Blackwell police can do about it.
Also, if you have nutcase Mitchell’s home address, phone numbers or photos, and/or those of chief Fred LeValley, we’ll publish them too…
Like the suppressed video, the following is also public information:
Submitted address and phone, which has not been verified:
John W and Rachel A Mitchell
118 Hill Ave
Blackwell, OK 74631-4417
(580) 363-0844
Submitted address and phone, which has not been verified:
Fred L & Joniece L Levalley
532 Madison Ave
Blackwell, OK 74631-4235
(580) 363-0473
Tulsa County Oklahoma Judge Jesse Harris Charged After Exposing Himself To 2 Women In Hotel Parking Lot - Obviously They Weren’t Impressed
May 5th, 2008
TULSA COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - Tulsa County District Judge Jesse Harris denies allegations he exposed himself to two women.
Two felony counts of indecent exposure were filed Thursday against Tulsa County District Judge Jesse Harris, court records show.
Harris surrendered Thursday evening to Tulsa County Undersheriff Brian Edwards at the office of Allen Smallwood, one of his defense attorneys. Edwards took Harris to the Tulsa Jail, where he was booked and then released on his own recognizance, Smallwood said.
Harris is charged with exposing himself to an ex-girlfriend and her friend in the parking lot of an east Tulsa hotel between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on March 9, according to police reports and Harris’ attorneys.
Harris denies the allegation, saying he spoke to his former girlfriend from his car for about five to eight minutes and then left, his attorneys said.
Read MoreBanned From YouTube: Blackwell Oklahoma Police Officer John Mitchell Attacks Passenger In Car - Blackwell Claims “Copyright” On Public Records And Has Video Removed From YouTube
May 5th, 2008
BLACKWELL, OKLAHOMA -
Hopefully this fat fuck John Mitchell will catch a bullet soon!
Blackwell is claimed “copyright” on public records, causing videos to be removed from YouTube.
Former Creek County Oklahoma “Penis Pump Judge” Donald Thompson Released From Prison
April 30th, 2008
CREEK COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - A former Creek County judge convicted and sent to prison for indecent exposure was released from prison today.
Officials with the Roger Mills County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to NewsChannel 8 that Donald Thompson was released from the Oklahoma State Reformatory in Granite today.
Thompson was convicted in 2006 on four counts of indecent exposure. Prosecutors accused the former judge of using a sexual device on himself during trials between 2001 and 2003. Thompson has denied the accusations all along.
Thompson was supposed to serve four years in prison, but was released early because of good-behavior credits given by the Department of Corrections.
As a result of his conviction, Thompson must register as a sex offender with the Sapulpa Police Department and with the Department of Corrections within three days of his release.
Former Oklahoma City Police Officer Kenneth Griffin’s Plot To Kill His Wife Was Fueled By His Obsession With Venezuelan Whore - But In The End, The Officer Did The Right Thing And Hung Himself In County Jail
April 28th, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — An obsession with a prostitute he met at a Venezuelan resort led a former Oklahoma City police officer to try to arrange his wife’s murder, according to court documents.
A judge on Wednesday made public a police investigator’s affidavit requesting that the officer be allowed to arrest Kenneth Griffin.
Griffin was arrested on April 16, the same day he planned to have his wife killed, and the 48-year-old Tuttle man committed suicide the next day in the Oklahoma County jail. Before he hung himself with a bedsheet, Griffin called his wife to say he had been set up.
According to the affidavit, Griffin gave a friend, Jonathan Eric Conlon, $1,000 in cash on April 15, money that was to be paid to a hit man named “Vic.” FBI agents secretly watched the exchange, and the 32-year-old Conlon told authorities “Vic” was a fictitious character he had created to fool Griffin, his partner in a drywall business.
Read MoreSequoyah County Oklahoma Jailer Jarrod Anthony Yates Pleads Not Guilty In Federal Court After Beating Inmate
April 28th, 2008
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - A former Sequoyah County jailer will stand trial in June after being indicted on a federal charge accusing him of beating a prisoner.
U.S. Attorney Sheldon J. Sperling says 24-year-old Jarrod Anthony Yates pleaded innocent Wednesday on a charge of deprivation of rights under color of law. He was released on bond.
Sperling says Yates allegedly assaulted an inmate while he was working at the Sequoyah County Jail.
Sheriff Johnny Philpott asked federal authorities to investigate after 39-year-old Donald Gene Allen suffered facial injuries in June 2006 that were severe enough to require surgery.
Yates’ trial has been set for June 2.
Appeared Here
Muscogee County Oklahoma Deputy Sheriff Robbie Baker Fired For Stealing Gasoline With Fuel Card
April 28th, 2008
MUSCOGEE COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - Muskogee County Sheriff’s Deputy Robbie Baker, a recent graduate of the state police academy, was fired at 11:45 a.m. Thursday for stealing gas, the sheriff said.
Baker filled his county vehicle at the Fiesta Mart in Warner, charged the gas to the department’s Fuel Man card, along with five gallons of gas he put in a gas can, Sheriff Charles Pearson said.
Baker is a new deputy who works in the jail and also works as a medical transport officer of prisoners, Pearson said. He lives in the Keefeton area.
A taxpayer saw the gas transaction and questioned why a deputy would fill the gas can at county expense, Pearson said.
“The person reported it, and we investigated,” Pearson said. “He (Baker) admitted he used the Fuel Man card and said he intended to put the five gallons of gas in his lawn mower.”
Read MoreFormer Sequoyah County Oklahoma Jailer Jarrod Anthony Yates Pleads Innocent In Federal Court After Brutally Beating Inmate
April 25th, 2008
MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA - A former Sequoyah County jailer will stand trial in June after being indicted on a federal charge accusing him of beating a prisoner.
U.S. Attorney Sheldon J. Sperling says 24-year-old Jarrod Anthony Yates pleaded innocent Wednesday on a charge of deprivation of rights under color of law. He was released on bond.
Sperling says Yates allegedly assaulted an inmate while he was working at the Sequoyah County Jail.
Sheriff Johnny Philpott asked federal authorities to investigate after 39-year-old Donald Gene Allen suffered facial injuries in June 2006 that were severe enough to require surgery.
Yates’ trial has been set for June 2.
Appeared Here
Illegal Steroids Found At Coweta Oklahoma Police Officer Zachary Livingston’s Home. Bodybuilder Guy Ducasse Implicated
April 19th, 2008
COWETA, OKLAHOMA - Law enforcement officers in Tulsa have seized anabolic steroids and human growth hormone at the home of a professional bodybuilder and a Coweta police officer.
Court records show that a special agent with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control office in Tulsa and an undercover officer in the Tulsa Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit seized syringes, needles and vials that indicated use of the illegal performance enhancement drugs from the trash outside a house in the 7500 block of East 88th Street on March 25.
The address is the home of Coweta Police Officer Zachary Livingston, his wife, Jennifer Livingston, and professional bodybuilder Guy Ducasse, the main focus of the investigation, according to an affidavit seeking a search warrant.
Tulsa County District Court records filed Wednesday show that officers recently searched the home and found vials of popular muscle-building steroids and human growth hormone. Among the substances found were testosterone, nandrolone decanate and stanozolol.
Read MoreFormer Oklahoma City Police Officer Kenneth John Griffin Does The Right Thing And Kills Himself In Jail After Arrest In Murder For Hire Scheme - Details Of Plot Hidden From Taxpayers
April 18th, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA — Authorities say a former Oklahoma City police officer killed himself Thursday after being arrested in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
Officials say 48-year-old Kenneth John Griffin suffered fatal self-inflicted injuries at the Oklahoma County jail and was pronounced dead at OU Medical Center.
Police Master Sergeant Gary Knight says officers stopped Griffin Wednesday afternoon on Southwest 15th Street and arrested him on a solicitation to commit murder complaint.
Police and the FBI have declined to release further details, referring questions to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors say they can’t comment because the case is under seal.
Federal Racketeering Lawsuit Charges 98 People, Including Most Wagoner County Oklahoma Officials, Sheriff Johnny Cannon
April 18th, 2008
WAGONER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA - Ninety-eight defendants in a civil racketeering case filed by a Wagoner couple could pass for a Who’s Who in Wagoner County government.
[Submitter: Why did I NOT affix my name? I; like so many other law abiding Wagoner county residents, am afraid for not just my own life, but for that of my family and friends.
Wagoner County is so full of the stereotypical "good 'ol boy" way of running matters, particularly in areas relating to County Law Enforcement. It is common knowledge that if one desires to manufacture methamphetamine in Wagoner County; he or she must pay the required "Cannon Tax" to avoid being arrested. There are two very obvious, overt labs not two blocks from my residence. We have reported these operations to both the county sheriff, Johnny Cannon and the District Attorney's Drug Task Force. Results: no action taken - ever. Manufacturing continues day and night and the smell permeates our home as I key this in, I smell a new batch being "cooked."]
Read MoreCuster County Oklahoma Sheriff Mike Burgess Quits, Charged With Running Sex Slave Operation From His Jail, Faces 467 Years In Prison
April 17th, 2008
ARAPAHO, OKLAHOMA - Authorities have charged a western Oklahoma sheriff with coercing and bribing female inmates so he could use them in a sex-slave operation run out of his jail.
Custer County Sheriff Mike Burgess resigned Wednesday just as state prosecutors filed 35 felony charges against him, including 14 counts of second-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy and five counts of bribery by a public official.
Burgess, the top officer in the county of 26,000 since 1994, appeared in court Wednesday was released after posting $50,000 bail.
A message left at Burgess’ home Thursday was not immediately returned.
Among other things, Burgess is accused of having sex with a female drug court participant who was in his custody. The crimes are to have occurred between October 2005 and April 2007.
Read MoreOklahoma City Firefighter Terrell Don Selby Arrested, Charged With Attacking, Beating, And Strangling Teen Girl At His Home - Remains On The Job
April 17th, 2008
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City firefighter has been accused of attacking a teenage girl at his home.
Terrell Don Selby, 49, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of attacking, strangling and beating a girl with a boot after an argument at his southwest Oklahoma City home.
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Police said the teenager got away and ran to a friend’s house to call 911.
Selby is expected to return to work on Thursday, but Oklahoma City’s fire chief said he would start his own investigation into the alleged incident.
Chief Keith Bryant said he was not happy to hear about one of his men being arrested.
The alleged victim told police this was not the first time she has been attacked, noting that she has other bruises on her body.
Investigators are looking into the possibility of long-term abuse.
Appeared Here
Custer County Oklahoma Sheriff Michael Burgress Quits Amid 35 Felony Charges Including 14 Counts Of Rape, Forcible Oral Sodomy, Kidnapping, Sexual Battery, Bribery, Indecent Exposure, And Rape By Instrumentation
April 17th, 2008
ARAPAHO, OKLAHOMA — An Oklahoma sheriff has been charged with 35 felony counts — including accusations of forcible oral sodomy, kidnapping, rape and perjury.
Michael Burgess resigned on Wednesday as Custer County sheriff amid the charges, which stemmed from a year-long investigation into the sheriff.
The 35 charges against Burgess include sexual battery, bribery of a public official, forcible oral sodomy, indecent exposure, kidnapping, 14 counts of rape in the second degree, rape by instrumentation and perjury.
State investigators started looking into Burgess in May 2007 when a participant in the Washita-Custer County Drug Court told investigations about an ongoing relationship.
Lone Grove Oklahoma Police Officer Christy Buchanan Fired After Drugs And Paraphernalia Were Found In Her Home
April 16th, 2008
LONE GROVE, OKLAHOMA - A Lone Grove police officer finds herself without a job after drugs and paraphernalia are found in her home. KTEN’s Meredith Saldana reports.
The Lone Grove Police Chief asked the Carter County Sheriff’s Department to look into the possibility that the officer and her husband had illegal drugs in their home.
The investigation started with witness interviews. The now former officer Christy Buchanan was also interviewed and deputies searched her home and found marijuana.
I spoke with residents who had mixed feelings about the officers job being terminated and also spoke with the Sheriff about his department taking over for the Lone Grove P. D.
Sheriff Ken Grace says, “We will be glad to assist any of the police departments anytime we can for whatever they need.”
Read MoreCarter County Oklahoma Jailers Fired After Beating Inmates
April 16th, 2008
CARTER COUNTY, OKLAHOMA – Jail isn’t supposed to be pleasant, but the people who guard prisoners, aren’t supposed to beat up the inmates, either. But that is just what some people are saying happened last week.
We learned over the weekend that two people who worked at the Carter County Jail are now without jobs after an investigation into questionable treatment of a prisoner.
Officials are not saying which two jailers were fired after an internal probe revealed use of excessive force in an incident that occurred last week in an incident which started inside the jail house and ended with one inmate receiving stitches for his wounds.
“We got a report from a family member that a subject had been beat up by some of our employees, our guards, and we investigated it, and found that I thought they violated the policies of our department,” Carter County Sheriff Ken Grace said.
Read MoreGrady County Oklahoma Deputy Sheriff William Swanson Pleads No Contest To Charges Related To Gambling For A Slap On The Wrist
April 14th, 2008
CHICKASHA, OK - A judge on Friday found a Grady County sheriff’s deputy guilty of willful neglect of duty in connection with a gambling operation and ordered the deputy to surrender his license.
Deputy William Swanson entered a no contest plea to the misdemeanor charge, and Special Judge Ken Harris found him guilty of violating his oath by allowing illegal gambling to occur in his presence, said Dana Gore, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
Swanson was placed on six months of probation and will not be allowed to serve as a certified police officer for two years.
His arrest stemmed from an August 2006 raid by the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Commission on the Chickasha Elks Lodge.
Swanson, a captain, was the third highest-ranking member of Sheriff Kieran McMullen’s administration.
Read MoreFamily Awarded Only $75,000 After Unarmed Child Was Shot (13 Times) And Killed By Norman Oklahoma Police Officer Chad Vincent
April 14th, 2008
NORMAN, OK - A settlement between the city of Norman and the family of a juvenile detention center escapee who was shot multiple times and killed by a police officer has been approved by the city council.
The $75,000 settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by Leonard Sanchez after his 17-year-old son was killed following a high speed chase in September 2005.
An investigation showed that Sanchez’s son, Richard Sanchez, was shot 13 times by Police Officer Chad Vincent following his escape from the Alan J. Couch detention center.
Cleveland County’s district attorney ruled that Vincent used justifiable force, but the ruling drew protests from groups including the NAACP.
Neither Vincent nor the city of Norman admitted they were liable in the settlement.
Appeared Here
Former Veteran Kay County Oklahoma Deputy Sheriff Michael Wade Kent Pleads Guilty, Sentenced To 17 1/2 Years In Federal Prison For Child Pornography - Sought Sex With 14 Year Old Girl
April 14th, 2008
KAY COUNTY, OK - A former Kay County sheriff’s deputy shook his head in disbelief Wednesday after a federal judge sentenced him to more than 17 years in prison on a child pornography charge.
Michael Wade Kent had hoped for a lighter sentence.
His attorney argued the lifelong law enforcement officer deserved a break.
Kent, 52, apologized for his actions before he was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton in Oklahoma City.
“I shamed my family. I shamed my profession,” he said. “I’m really ashamed of myself.”
Kent said he has promised his family he won’t repeat his mistakes, a pledge he repeated Wednesday to the judge.
“You won’t see me again,” he said.
Heaton said Kent’s promise didn’t carry a lot of weight in light of a counselor’s conclusion that the Ponca City resident is addicted to pornography.
Read MoreCarter County Oklahoma Jailers Fired After Beating Inmate - Names And Details Hidden From Taxpayers
April 14th, 2008
CARTER COUNTY, OK - Two Carter County Detention Center jailers lost their jobs Friday morning following an investigation into allegations of an excessive force incident Wednesday night at the detention center.
Sheriff Ken Grace said the investigation indicated “improper conduct” in dealing with an inmate. Excessive force resulted in the inmate sustaining a minor injury that required stitches. Grace said the termination was a “personnel issue” and the names of the two male jailers were not released.
However, Grace did discuss his decision to fire both men.
“The investigation indicated their conduct was, at the least, unprofessional and improper. I will not tolerate that kind of behavior and they have been dismissed,” Grace said.
The loss of employment may not be the only thing the two jailers will face. Grace said the results of the investigation have been turned over to Carter County District Attorney Craig Ladd for the consideration of possible charges.
Read MoreGrady County Oklahoma Deputy Sheriff William Swanson Convicted Of Willful Neglect Of Duty For Allowing Illegal Gambling At Elks Lodge
April 12th, 2008
GRADY COUNTY, OK - Grady County Sheriff’s Deputy William Swanson was found guilty in Grady County District Court for the crime of Willful Neglect of Duty. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the State, Swanson pled no contest to the charges. Special Judge Ken Harris found him guilty of failing to follow his oath as a Deputy Sheriff by allowing illegal gambling activities to occur in his presence.
Deputy Swanson was a Captain, which made him the third highest ranking member of Sheriff Kieran McMullen’s administration. Harris placed Swanson on probation for 6 months. Swanson resigned from the Sheriff’s Office and will not be allowed to be a certified peace officer for two (2) years.
Swanson’s arrest and prosecution stemmed from the ABLE Commission raid on the Chickasha Elks Lodge in August of 2006. Swanson is the second defendant to be found guilty in relation to the corruption offenses. Police Officer Jerry Tyler pled guilty to Neglect of Duty and Peace Officer engaged in Illegal Gambling in February of 2007.
Read MoreBlackwell Oklahoma Police Officer John Mitchell Attacks Motorist With Pepper Spray
April 12th, 2008
BLACKWELL, OK - A police video posted on YouTube shows a Blackwell police officer pepper spray a man after a traffic stop.
The video posted Sunday shows an incident that occurred December 15th after officer John Mitchell stopped a pickup truck.
He asked the two people in the truck - Shaun Paul Alexander and Patricia Gail Burkett - for their driver’s licenses.
When Alexander steps out of the truck and doesn’t comply with the officer, Mitchell pepper sprays him in the face.
Burkett got the video through a Freedom of Information request.
Nobody was seriously injured, and Blackwell Police Chief Fred LeValley says he saw no evidence of excessive force.
Woodward County Oklahoma Sheriff Les Morton Indicted On 20 Counts Of Fraud
March 30th, 2008
WOODWARD COUNTY, OK