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Results tagged “crime” from KRMG Local News

Panel OKs death sentence for child rapists

By
Don Bishop
@ February 9, 2010 6:19 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Repeat sex offenders convicted of raping a child 6 years old or younger would be eligible for the death penalty under a bill passed by a House committee.

The bill by Rep. Rex Duncan was overwhelmingly approved Monday by the House Judiciary Committee, despite a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that such laws were unconstitutional.

The Sand Springs Republican says he feels the court erred in its decision and that he believes a new court could uphold the law.

In a Louisiana case in which a man was sentenced to death for raping an 8-year-old girl, the nation's highest court ruled that allowing the death penalty in such cases violates the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.


TULSA, Ok. - The search is on for a man after an overnight armed robbery of a central Tulsa Walgreen's store. Tulsa Police Sergeant Kurt Dodd says the man came into the store at 15th and South Lewis just before 10 p.m. Monday and walked around for awhile. "Hands the teller a note demanding the money and displays a large kitchen knife. The loss at this time seems only to be cash," Dodd says. After reviewing surveillance video, police believe the same man also may be responsible for an armed robbery of a Walgreen's at Pine and Lewis last Saturday night.


TULSA, Ok. - A Tulsa police officer is accused of pointing a gun and threatening to kill a bar bouncer. Witnesses said Thomas Fees was a familiar face at Oscar's Gastro Pub at 1738 South Boston. But around closing time Friday night, Oscar's owner Eli Huff said Fees started inappropriately touching some women inside the bar. "They felt like it was to the point where he needed to go and we had cut him off from drinking," Huff said. Huff and a bouncer asked Fees to leave but he refused. Witnesses said employees then had to remove Fees from the bar. But once outside, witnesses said he pulled out a revolver and pointed it at one employee's head. A police report says Fees was arrested early Saturday but is now out of jail. He is on paid suspension during the rest of the investigation.


TULSA, Ok. - A gunman robbed a north Tulsa grocery store just 3 weeks after it opened for business. The Gateway Market at Pine and Peoria was robbed about 10:20 p.m. Saturday. Deadrick Gillespin (shown) is the assistant manager. He said, "Myself and the head cashier was coming out of the safe room and a gentleman walked up to us with a chrome-plated gun and ordered us to get back into the safe room and empty the safe out." Gillespin said it took about ten minutes to open the safe. The suspect then ordered the employees to put all of the money into a bag. Gillespin said the suspect was last seen running out the front door and down the sidewalk.


Muskogee County Death Investigated

By
Richard Dowdell
@ February 5, 2010 2:40 PM
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(Boynton, Ok)--The Muskogee County Sheriff's Office is treating the discovery of a man's body in a home west of Boynton as a "possible homicide". The man in his 50s was found Thursday dead on the floor of the home. A member of his family, who had tried for days to contact the man, broke into the home and made the discovery. Deputies were gathering evidence from the scene after learning the victim had made a number of complaints about break-ins over the last couple of months.

TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police break their way in to a Dollar General Store after an attempted armed robbery. Two employees had locked up for the night about 9 p.m. Tuesday when a man with a shotgun approached and rattled the front door. The employees hid in the back of the store and called police. Officers didn't know if the gunman was inside so they broke their way in. The suspect got away before police arrived at the scene near 5100 South Union.


TULSA, Ok. - A man was shot during an armed robbery at a Tulsa apartment complex. Witnesses say two men tried to take the victim's wallet about 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Bradford Town Homes near 21st and South Garnett. Tulsa Police say the suspects tried to fire several shots but the gun malfunctioned. During a scuffle over the gun, it went off, shooting the victim in the head. He was hospitalized. Police are looking for the suspects believed to be between 18 and 21 years old. One of the suspects has a written tattoo on the right side of his neck. If you can help police, call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police make a pot bust after a driver is stopped for running a stop sign. The officer spotted the violation around eight last night near East Independence Street and North Peoria. Tulsa Police Corporal Pat Harker says, "Walked up to the truck that he thought was possibly stolen, found 6 duffel full of marijuana." Harker says, after the driver gave consent for the search, 350 pounds of pot was found inside the truck. He says the suspect who was arrested and booked into jail was identified as Andrew Alvarado (shown).


Three armed gunmen storm Taco Bell restaurant

By
Don Bishop
@ February 2, 2010 6:53 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - An armed robbery begins with glass flying as rocks are tossed through a restaurant front door. The News On Six's Gary Kruse was on the scene at 1:11 a.m. Tuesday at the Taco Bell near 7100 South Utica. Kruse says, "Three armed gunmen stormed a Taco Bell overnight causing fear and terror to the employees inside who weren't even sure what was going on until the men were inside." Kruse says the suspects took cash from the restaurant and fled in a dark green or blue car. Police later pursued a similar vehicle but the driver was able to elude them in the area of 41st and Sheridan and Memorial.


GERONIMO, Okla. (AP) - The lack of any sighting in Oklahoma of a missing 7-year-old girl has prompted some officials to argue that missing-children alerts shouldn't be limited just to the state where a child disappeared.

Comanche County Sheriff Kenny Stradley said he had assumed Amber Alerts were broadcast nationwide, but found out otherwise during last week's search for Aja Johnson (shown) after the little girl's mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found slain. An Amber Alert for Aja said she was believed to be in the company of her stepfather, Lester Hobbs.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said Lester Hobbs (shown) got a 24-hour start before his wife's body was found and had plenty of time to travel far from Oklahoma. She said that's why a national Amber Alert system is needed.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An attorney for the father of a missing 7-year-old girl says his client violated a court order when he let the child visit her mother while unsupervised.

Thirty-five-year-old Tonya Hobbs was found slain in Geronimo on Sunday, and 7-year-old Aja Johnson has been missing since. Police believe she was taken by Hobbs' estranged husband, 46-year-old Lester Hobbs (shown). Hobbs has been charged with killing his wife and kidnapping the girl.

A court order prohibited Tonya Hobbs from visiting Aja without supervision and prohibited the child from being near Lester Hobbs.

Attorney John Branch tells The Associated Press that John J. Johnson let Tonya Hobbs take Aja to a birthday party in Tuttle last Friday because he believed she had ended her relationship with Hobbs.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An attorney for the father of a missing 7-year-old girl says his client violated a court order when he let the child visit her mother while unsupervised.

Thirty-five-year-old Tonya Hobbs was found slain in Geronimo on Sunday, and 7-year-old Aja Johnson has been missing since. Police believe she was taken by Hobbs' estranged husband, 46-year-old Lester Hobbs (shown). Hobbs has been charged with killing his wife and kidnapping the girl.

A court order prohibited Tonya Hobbs from visiting Aja without supervision and prohibited the child from being near Lester Hobbs.

Attorney John Branch tells The Associated Press that John J. Johnson let Tonya Hobbs take Aja to a birthday party in Tuttle last Friday because he believed she had ended her relationship with Hobbs.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Authorities say a car matching the description of a vehicle belonging to a slain woman whose daughter is missing may have been spotted in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Wednesday they received a report that a white 1992 Toyota Paseo was seen in southwest Oklahoma City. Troopers thought the car tag had been changed from 577BPW, but Capt. Chris West later said that wasn't the case.

Authorities believe the car belonged to Tonya Hobbs, who was found dead in a recreational vehicle about 100 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Hobbs' estranged husband, Lester Hobbs, has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping for allegedly killing her and fleeing with her 7-year-old daughter, Aja Johnson.

Investigators also found surveillance video from a Lawton Wal-Mart that shows the Hobbses hours before her death.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Prosecutors have charged an Oklahoma man with murdering his estranged wife and kidnapping her 7-year-old daughter.

Comanche County prosecutors on Tuesday charged 46-year-old Lester William Hobbs with first-degree murder in the beating death of Tonya Hobbs. Her body was found Sunday in his motor home in Geronimo.

They have charged Lester Hobbs with kidnapping in the disappearance of Tonya Hobbs' youngest daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson.

Tonya Hobbs sought a protective order against Lester Hobbs in August claiming he threatened her daughters and vowed to kill her if she left him. An emergency order was granted but the case was later dismissed when neither Tonya nor Lester Hobbs appeared in court.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The father of a 7-year-old girl whose mother was found dead has issued a plea for her safe return.

Aja Daniell Johnson is believed to be with Lester Hobbs, an ex-convict wanted for questioning in the death of his estranged wife, Tonya Hobbs. Her body was discovered in a camper Sunday in Geronimo.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says Lester Hobbs and Aja were last seen Saturday evening after she and her mother visited him.

At a news conference Monday, J.J. Johnson said through tears that if anyone knew where Aja was to take her to a safe spot and he would pick her up with no questions asked.

Aja Johnson is 4 feet tall, weighs about 65 pounds and has brown, shoulder-length hair and brown eyes.


GERONIMO, Ok. - An Amber Alert has been issued to help authorities find an 8-year old girl who is missing and reportedly needs her medication today. Aja Jotson was apparently taken around 8 p.m. Sunday from her home in Geronimo, Oklahoma, in Comanche County in southwest Oklahoma. She may have been abducted by 47-year old Lester Hobbs who is a person of interest in a homicide last night in Geronimo is the estranged husband of the murder victim. Aja is the daughter of the homicide victim. Authorities believe Hobbs may be en route to Davenport, Oklahoma, near Chandler where he has relatives. Hobbs reportedly is driving a white 1992 Toyota with license plate number 577 EBW. If you have helpful information, please call the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.


Tulsa, Okla., police say man slain outside bar

By
Don Bishop
@ January 25, 2010 5:35 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Police say a fatal shooting outside a Tulsa bar may have been a case of road rage and self-defense.

They said the slaying followed an exchange of words between the occupants of a pickup truck and a motorcyclist as both vehicles traveled on a city street.

Police said 33-year-old Christopher Conrad was pronounced dead at the scene Friday outside the Slo Ride Saloon on the city's south side. Officers said Conrad and a companion had yelled derogatory statements at 48-year-old Daniel Kitchens as he drove his motorcycle to the bar.

Officers said Conrad followed Kitchens to the bar and then he and his passenger got out of the truck and accosted Kitchens.

Officer Jason Willingham said the shooting might have been a case of self-defense on Kitchens' part.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma judge has ruled that a doctor accused of fatally stabbing his 9-year-old son is competent to stand trial on a first-degree murder charge.

Oklahoma County District Judge Donald Deason issued the ruling Tuesday in the case of Stephen Paul Wolf. Wolf was arrested Nov. 16 after a police officer found him straddling his wounded son in the family home in Nichols Hills.

A state psychologist examined Wolf Jan. 6 because of concerns about whether he could aid in his defense.

Deason says a report by the psychologist indicated Wolf was competent.

Wolf's attorney, Mack Martin, and Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Lister said they agreed with the report's findings.

Wolf told Deason he is taking mood-stabilizing and anti-psychotic drugs as well as other medication for high blood pressure.


TULSA, Ok. - A man at the door was allowed to use the phone then robbed the couple inside. Tulsa police were called about 11:38 p.m. Monday to a house near Pine and Lewis. The News On Six's Gary Kruse says, "He made a phone call, then stepped out and then stepped back in and produced a pistol." Kruse says the suspect then tied the couple with an electric cord and took a television and several items from the house. The suspect then stole the couple's white Ford Windstar van.


Former Bears DT Dvoracek arrested in Oklahoma

By
Don Bishop
@ January 18, 2010 5:48 AM
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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek has been arrested on charges of public intoxication, assault and battery and interference with official process.

Norman police records indicate the 26-year-old Dvoracek was arrested around 1 a.m. Saturday at Seven47, a restaurant near the University of Oklahoma.

Dvoracek appeared in 13 games in four seasons with the Bears after being drafted in the fourth round in 2006. He was placed on the waived/injured list in August because of a torn ACL in his right knee.

While at Oklahoma, he was temporarily dismissed from the Sooners after an altercation at a bar in Norman. He was reinstated after anger-management and alcohol-related counseling.

Norman police Capt. Darry Stacy says an arrest report won't be available until Tuesday.


TULSA, Ok. - A massage parlor customer was rubbed the wrong way when he was shot during an armed robbery. Tulsa Police Sergeant Eric Nelson says the victim was shot twice in the leg last night by a man dressed in a halloween costume. Nelson says, "He told us that he was a customer at the Oriental Dream Massage and was receiving his massage when an individual busted down the door in an attempt to rob people at gunpoint." Nelson says after the victim was shot, the gunman ran out the back door and headed north from the scene near 3100 South Mingo. The victim was hospitalized for treatment.


Numerous robberies keep TPD busy early Friday

By
Don Bishop
@ January 15, 2010 6:09 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - The Tulsa Police Department investigated a slew of robberies overnight. The News On 6's Gary Kruse says holdups were reported at the LaQuinta Inn near 3100 South Garnett. That's where a man took cash and a laptop computer. Police believe he's responsible for several other recent motel robberies. Later, a man was robbed on the parking lot at the Night Trips Club near 4100 South Sheridan. Then, a man was robbed when he stepped out of his house near 51st Street North and Lewis. The suspect, who was wearing a mask, took the man's car. Finally, a man was robbed near 71st and South Lewis but police have not determined what was taken.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa police described a fatal shooting Thursday night as an ambush. A man was found dead around 8:15 p.m. after he got out of his car at the Seminole Hills apartments near 1600 East Ute Street, just south of Booker T. Washington High School. Witnesses described the suspect for Tulsa Police Sergeant Michael Brown. Brown says, "The description we have so far was a black male in a black, hoodie-type sweatshirt with a white checkered shirt." Brown says the suspect shot at the victim several times and then fled on foot while he continued to fire the gun.


Inmate who escaped in Ark. is caught in Okla.

By
Don Bishop
@ January 15, 2010 5:49 AM
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VAN BUREN, Ark. (AP) - An Oklahoma police chief is crediting a truck driver with the recapture of a man who escaped after allegedly stabbing a guard in Arkansas.

Van Buren police Lt. Brent Grill says Justin Welch was arrested without incident Thursday on Interstate 40 near Sallisaw.

Sallisaw Police Chief Shaloa Edwards says officers were contacted by the mother of truck driver Timothy Lyon, who sent a text message to his mother when he saw a pistol in Welch's bag after giving him a ride.

Edwards says when police stopped the vehicle and ordered them to get out, Lyon threw Welch's bag out of the truck.

Authorities allege Welch stabbed a private extradition company guard and stole the company's van in Van Buren Wednesday.

Welch is wanted in a fatal stabbing in Wisconsin.


Man convicted of killing 2 in Tulsa executed

By
Don Bishop
@ January 15, 2010 5:44 AM
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McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - The state of Oklahoma has executed a man who was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1993 fatal beatings of his former girlfriend's daughter and grandchild.

Julius Ricardo Young was pronounced dead at 6:27 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Young was convicted of killing Joyland Morgan and her son, Kewan, whose bodies were found Oct. 1, 1993, at their Tulsa apartment.

Prosecutors say Young was upset that Morgan's mother had recently ended their relationship. They say he broke into the family's apartment and beat the two with a baseball bat.

The 60-year-old Young maintained his innocence at an Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board hearing in December, but the board denied his clemency request.

All of Young's appeals had been exhausted.


TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) - A federal judge says five young women abused by evangelist Tony Alamo while they were minors are each entitled to a half-million dollars for physical and mental pain they suffered.

The 75-year-old was convicted last year of taking underage girls across state lines for sex and was sentenced to 175 years. A federal judge on Wednesday ordered restitution for the five, who are now aged 17 to 33.

A defense lawyer said Alamo shouldn't have to pay anything.

A pediatrician testified the women suffer chronic back pain, persistent menstrual cramps and depression. Prosecutors sought $2.7 million for each woman.

The government says it is confident Alamo has the money, but that it might be spread among business ventures held in the names of his followers.

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Man sought following Tulsa bank robbery

By
Don Bishop
@ January 14, 2010 5:05 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - A man with sunglasses and a goatee and wearing a thin black jacket with a gray hoodie robbed the Arvest Bank at 15th & Utica right before 8 p.m. Wednesday. Detectives say the robber waived a gun and demanded money. He was described as a skinny, black male about 5 feet 9 inches tall. No shots were fired and he ran away from the bank on foot. No customers were inside the bank when it was robbed.


VAN BUREN, Ark. - A murder suspect inmate allegedly shot one guard and stabbed another guard during an escape in Van Buren, Arkansas early Wednesday morning. Van Buren is just north of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Investigators say the suspect, Justin Welsh, shot one of the guards by using a guard's pistol. Welsh allegedly also took a guard's wallet. He got away by taking the vehicle that was being used to transport him. Investigators say he was wearing a green jumpsuit and couild be headed toward Oklahoma.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating a pair of unrelated shootings overnight. Tulsa Police Sergeant Gary Otterstrom says one of the victims entered the hospital and told attendants that he had been shot. Otterstrom says, "He had suffered one gunshot wound to the stomach area and they were preping him for surgery but at this point don't know where it happened and we have no suspect information or what led up tto the shooting." Earlier this morning, a man was shot on a parking lot near 5100 South Utica by a man with a gun who wanted money. The victim's friend drove him to a nearby convenience store where EMSA was called. The suspect was wearing a blue Russian-type hat and was wearing a blue hoodie sweatshirt.


TULSA, Ok. - A burglar goes through a lot of work overnight for nothing. Someone used a rock to break the glass at the Rent Quick Store at 21st and South Garnett. The trouble came when the burglar tried to remove a big screen television from the scene about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. The News On Six's Gary Kruse says, "Got about a 42-inch t-v, came back to the front door and for him, unfortunately, couldn't push it through the hole he had made in the door." Kruse says the store has been the target of burglars looking for big screen t-v's.


2 teenagers suspected in 2 armed robberies

By
Don Bishop
@ January 12, 2010 6:31 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - Two teenagers are in jail after a pair of armed robberies overnight. The first armed robbery happened at an apartment complex near 21st and Southwest Boulevard where a man said his car was taken. Police later found the car nearby. Another robbery occured at another apartment complex in the same area. That victim was able to identify the teenagers as the suspects who robbed him.


Ex-Tulsa Public Works official sentenced

By
Don Bishop
@ January 12, 2010 4:44 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A former Tulsa Public Works Department official who was accused of bribery and fraud has been sentenced to 42 months in prison.

U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern also on Monday ordered former field engineering manager Albert Martinez to make restitution of $341,000.

Martinez pleaded guilty in August to bribery conspiracy, mail fraud conspiracy and procurement fraud.

Federal prosecutors say he accepted bribes from a local construction company in return for approving inflated invoices, and also took money from several local contractors in return for favorable influence during the approval of city contracts.

Martinez is one of six defendants who have pleaded guilty in the case, and one of two who have been sentenced.

Martinez's attorney, Stephen Knorr, couldn't be reached for comment Monday.


TULSA, Ok. - Four people were shot inside a house near 6300 North Boulder Monday night. One of them died later at a hospital. Tulsa Police Sergeant Brian Hill says someone started shooting at a party about 7:30 p.m. Hill says, "They were in some sort of social setting that they were getting along at one point tonight and then until they weren't getting along and the gunshots erupted." Harry Maupin was nearby when the shooting started. He says, "I kind of like heard it and I was kind of like turned all of my lights off and told my girlfriend to get down and get under something because you know we didn't know how close it was but it kind of really shook us all up." One victim was hospitalized in critical condition but died later and three other people are in fair condition. Hill says a 56-year old woman was treated at the scene and then released. Police later arrested three people for questioning including Joe Lee Williams. He was booked on four counts of shooting with intent to kill and one count of homicide. Officers recovered an assault rifle but are continuing to look for another gun possibly used at the shootings.


Paramedic who scuffled with trooper arrested

By
Don Bishop
@ January 12, 2010 3:11 AM
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VIAN, Okla. (AP) - A paramedic who scuffled with an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop last year has been arrested in Vian on municipal complaints.

Assistant Police Chief Bryan Chandler says Maurice White Jr. was booked into the Sequoyah County jail Monday for speeding, not having a driver's license and resisting arrest, among other things.

White didn't return a call seeking comment.

In May, cell phone video captured White scuffling with Trooper Daniel Martin after Martin stopped White's ambulance because it didn't yield as Martin was responding to an emergency call. The ambulance was headed to a hospital.

Attorney Richard O'Carroll says White is scheduled to appear as a witness Wednesday in a case involving a Holdenville man who accused Martin of using excessive force.


TULSA, Ok. - A man is dead after a possible home invasion shooting. The shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the McKinley Apartments near 6600 East Latimer Place. Tulsa Police Officer DeLorn Sanders says the suspect left the scene. He says it is "possible may have got inside a white vehicle. Haven't got the information on what type of vehicle it was but it might have been a small, white vehicle." The name of the 44-year old victim has not been released. Police say the victim was shot several times after a man kicked in the victim's door.


EDMOND, Okla. (AP) - Police say a search for an Edmond woman missing for two days has ended with the discovery of her wrecked car, with the woman's body inside.

Twenty-one-year-old Julia Gilbert was last seen alive about 3:30 a.m. Friday leaving a friend's house in Edmond. She never made it to her parents' home.

Gilbert's family had offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to discovery of her whereabouts.

Edmond police spokeswoman Glynda Chu said a passerby called police about 2:45 p.m. Sunday after finding Gilbert's car overturned in a ditch west of town. Chu said Gilbert's car apparently veered off the road and struck a guard rail on a bridge, then flipped over into the ditch below. The car was not easily visible from the roadway.


TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted the assistant police chief and the city court clerk of Catoosa on drug charges.

Federal prosecutors say assistant Chief Paul Whitmire and Phyllis June Matthews made initial court appearances after their arrests Thursday morning.

Whitmire faces three counts of obtaining hydrocodone by misrepresentation, deception, fraud and subterfuge. Matthews has been charged with three counts of distribution of hydrocodone.

According to the indictment, Whitmire obtained hydrocodone, a narcotic pain reliever, by deception on three occasions in 2009. Matthews is accused of distributing the drug on three occasions last year.

Both were released from custody on a $5,000 unsecured bond. A trial date hasn't been set.

Neither Whitmire nor Matthews could be reached for comment on Thursday.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa police are investigating an overnight shooting. It happened about 3 a.m. Wednesday at 2811 North Elgin. The News On Six's Gary Kruse reports the 911 caller said someone was trying to get into the back of a house. Kruse says, "The man that was beating on the back door of a house had been given a ride to a local hospital where it was determined he had a gunshot wound to his left arm." The man was not cooperating with the police investigation.


New video system aids in children's testimony

By
Don Bishop
@ January 4, 2010 6:38 AM
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ENID, Okla. (AP) - Local courts soon may have a new way for abused children to testify in court when a video system developed by the Garfield County Child Advocacy Council is completed.

Carole Wade is executive director of Garfield County Child Advocacy Council. Wade says the new system is expected to be completed by fall.

Currently, children who have been abused are interviewed in the child advocacy group's forensic interview room by specially trained law enforcement and child protective personnel.

Wade says children can testify in the forensics room, where they feel more comfortable, rather than in a courtroom so they do not have the accused abuser staring at them.

With the new system, a child's testimony can be seen in a courtroom at the courthouse.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A lawyer for an Oklahoma City pharmacist charged with murder in the death of a teenage would-be robber says he isn't pleased that a psychologist's report has been leaked. Lawyer Irven Box says the report portrays the dead youth's companion in the robbery attempt as a victim instead of a criminal.

Box is the lawyer for pharmacist Jerome Ersland (shown), who faces a first-degree murder charge accusing him of using excessive force when he fatally shot 16-year-old Antwun ``Speedy'' Parker on May 19. The 58-year-old pharmacist contends he acted in self-defense when he shot at Parker six times.

The Oklahoman newspaper published an article Sunday saying 15-year-old Jevontai Ingram has a low IQ and told a psychologist he was feeling lost before the crime that left his accomplice dead.

District Attorney David Prater said he didn't know who leaked the report, or why. But he said it wouldn't change his strategy for the case.


TULSA, Ok. - One man is dead after two shootings Sunday evening. Both shootings happened just a few minutes apart in the same general area near 4000 North Hartford. Tulsa Police Captain Shawn King says police are still trying to sort out exactly what happened near 4000 North Hartford. He says, "We've got a black male in his mid-20's who was shot three times in the chest. He was transported to a local hospital in not very good condition right now." The victim died later at the hospital. King says the other victim who was shot in the arm should recover but was not cooperating with police.


Home invasion victim pistol-whipped early Tuesday

By
Don Bishop
@ December 22, 2009 7:07 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - A home invasion victim was taken to the hospital early Tuesday after being pistol-whipped at a south Tulsa home. Tulsa Police Corporal Brett Bilyeu says two men and a woman, all in their thirties, were involved in the fracas at 5:27 a.m. at 5842 South Richmond. Bilyeu says, "Apparently, the medical professionals that were tending him are reporting that they didn't find two gunshots but possibly pistol-whipped. So, to be safe, I'm just going to say that he has head injuries. He was conscious and able to talk a little bit, so, hopefully he's gonna pull through. Was it random? I don't know yet, but also we have to keep in mind that this is the Christmas time and that's when a lot of robberies take place, especially in our economic times." Two other people in the house were not hurt. Police don't know the motive yet.


TULSA, Ok. - Two people were armed robbery victims early this morning. Tulsa Police Corporal Brandon Disney is investigating the holdup at the No Name Bar at 1903 East Apache Street. He says two black male individuals "accosted a worker and a patron of the bar with their personal possessions including money, cell phone and wallet. Suspects were last seen in a white, newer-model Chevy Malibu headed eastbound on Apache toward Lewis. The first suspect was wearing a plaid jacket, dark blue pants with a silver, semi automatic handgun. Second suspect, a black male wearing black shirt, black pants with large, gold hoop earrings in both ears carried a black handgun." Disney says both victims denied knowing the suspects. No one was injured in the robbery about 1:20 a.m.


TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A woman wanted in connection with the beating death of a man killed in an apparent dispute over an English bulldog has turned herself in to authorities.

Tulsa police say 47-year-old Carmile Sulvetta surrendered on Friday after returning from New Jersey. She is being held in the Tulsa County jail on a complaint of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Online jail records didn't indicate if Sulvetta had an attorney.

Police say they think she masterminded the killing of 40-year-old Guy Gilmore Jones, whose body was found Dec. 11 in his home. Police say Jones' death apparently came after an argument about a dog.

Police have arrested five others in connection with Jones' death. Detective Roger Smith says Sulvetta may have contacted those five to arrange the beating of Jones.


Crime Mapping now Available on the iPhone

By
Paul Crockett
@ December 18, 2009 9:55 AM
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(Sand Springs, OK) - The iPhone is turning into a crime fighting tool.  Sand Springs Assistant Chief of Police Mike Carter says there is now an app that lets you see crime mapping information for their city as well as Broken Arrow and Sand Springs.  Cater says the GPS capability of the iPhone lets you see where crimes have occurred and where sex offenders are compared to your current location.  Carter says you just have to go to the app store and search for crimereports.  He says the service is free and paid for with drug asset forfeitures.  The same service can also be found on the web at www.crimereports.com. 


Teenager shot, suspect arrested

By
Don Bishop
@ December 18, 2009 6:15 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - A 16-year old is in the hospital fighting for his life after being shot with a gun. Witnesses told police where to find the man who may have shot the boy last night at 5910 North Frankfort Place. Police say the suspect may have shot the boy because he may have been responsible for the burglary of the suspect's convenience store. Also, several members of the boy's family were taken in for questioning.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating a series of armed robberies from overnight. Witness descriptions of the suspect indicate it may be the same man who used a black steel revolver to rob two La Quinta Inns. The suspect took cash and a laptop computer from the La Quinta Inn near 41st and Skelly Drive. About an hour later, a similar suspect took money and a leather jacket from the clerk at the La Quinta Inn near 51st and the Broken Arrow Expressway. In another armed robbery later near 600 South Peoria, a man was robbed of his wallet. Police don't believe it was the same man who robbed the motels earler. Police are still looking for the suspects.


TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Steve Berg reports now that the idea of using the Sheriff's Office to supplement Tulsa Police, now what? The Mayor's Chief of Staff Terry Simonson says there was no timetable on putting the plan in motion. And that if it happens, it will be awhile. "We've still got six months left in this budget year and the sheriff has a budget, as well. So, if anything were to happen, it could happen perhaps in the middle or so of 2010," he says. The Sheriff's Office says if the city needs help now, they can do it and work out the logistics later. One idea is to have deputies patrol some of the city's outlying areas.


TULSA, Ok. - The News On 6's Gary Kruse reports that a man was stabbed several times early this morning at the South Glen Apartments at 5628 South Peoria. The victim told police that he was stabbed in the abdomen about 4:20 a.m. as he was getting ready to enter his apartment. The victim said that a male assaulted him but he was unable to provide an adequate description of the attacker for police. The victim was taken to the hospital. No one has been arrested.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating a shots-fired call from overnight. The News On Six's Kyle Kabrick says police received a call shortly before 1 a.m. today about gunfire on the parking lot at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant near 31st and South Memorial. An off-duty police officer saw a car speed away and run a red light so he called for police to respond. Officers stopped the car and found five juveniles inside along with two guns. The juveniles said they were shooting at a car that was shooting at them. The other car never was found and no victims were located. Police were questioning the juveniles.


TULSA, Ok. - A 19-year old University of Tulsa student who said she was raped behind a business in Brookside two weeks ago now says the story is not true. Tulsa Police Officer Leland Ashley says this does not mean rape victims should not report the crime. Ashley says, "To come forward, don't feel like I won't be believed because maybe this seems far-fetched. You come forward and let the detectives, let us, go through with our investigation." Because the woman appeared to be bruised, police believe there was a fight but Ashley says police no longer are looking for a person matching the description of the man seen in a sketch released two weeks ago.


Okla. St. student accused of blackmailing another

By
Don Bishop
@ December 15, 2009 3:19 AM
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STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State University police say information accusing a student of blackmailing another to get her notes on a class that both were taking has been turned over to the Payne County district attorney's office.

OSU Police Capt. David Altman said Monday that 18-year-old student Caroline Randal reported to OSU police on Dec. 7 that another student had threatened to place erroneous information about her on various social-networking Web sites unless she gave him her class notes.

Police say the suspect asked Randal for her class notes from an introduction to theater class, which had its final exam last Wednesday. Altman says Randal refused to give the student the notes because she felt he had been irresponsible by not taking notes in class himself.


Police: Dispute over bulldogs led to man's death

By
Don Bishop
@ December 14, 2009 6:48 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Tulsa police have arrested five people in the death of a 40-year-old man and say his death is the result of a dispute over English bulldogs.

Police on Saturday arrested 18-year-old Aldelso Shadrick Barnes, 18-year-old James Edward Alexander, 18-year-old Shanon Hunt, 20-year-old Jovan Caldwell and 18-year-old Sabrina Lee Cummings on complaints of first-degree murder.

Guy Gilmore Jones' (shown) body was found Friday in his home. Police say his girlfriend told them a dog was missing from the residence and that she and Jones recently had been involved in a disturbance with two people over English bulldogs.

Police determined that Jones had taken a dog from one of the suspects and that several of the suspects later had assaulted Jones.

Tulsa County jail records don't indicate if any of those arrested have an attorney.


Anadarko still feeling effects of slaying

By
Don Bishop
@ December 14, 2009 6:33 AM
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ANADARKO, Okla. (AP) - Three months after the slaying of a pastor in her church, some residents of Anadarko say they still have a sense of unease.

The killing of The Rev. Carol Daniels, 61, remains unsolved. Daniels' body was mutilated and posed behind the altar of her tiny Christ Holy Sanctified Church.

There has been little public word from investigators since the killing. Police say their leads have evaporated and there is little to say, other than that they want to catch the killer.

Anadarko Mayor Jerry Marcum says there is a lingering fear in the city of 6,300 people. He says Anadarko is supposed to be a safe place, but that feeling is absent with the killer still loose.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police say Guy Jones was beaten to death Friday afternoon while his son was asleep in a bedroom. Shanna Deshields says she found her husband's body inside their house near Admiral and Utica. Police arrested five people including four teenagers on suspicion of first degree murder. They have been identified as: Aldelso Shadrick Barnes, 18; James Edward Alexander, 18; Shanon Hunt, 18; Jovan Caldwell, 20, and Sabrina Lee Cummings, 18. Police say Jones apparently stole a dog from one of the suspects. Deshields denies the allegation. Police are looking for 47-year old Carmile Chong Hwan Sulvetta who they believe was the mastermind behind the homicide.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating the overnight armed robbery of a Whattaburger Restaurant near East 41st Street and South Hudson. The holdup happened about 1:15 a.m. on Thursday. The News On Six's Gary Kruse says, "Two young men wearing hoodies and one armed with a shotgun came inside the store, demanded money and left with an undetermined amount of cash." Police believe the same two suspects may have been involved in the armed robbery of another Whattaburger Restaurant last week near 1400 South Peoria. Police are questioning a woman who entered the restaurant after the robbery this morning and gave a false report that her car had been hijacked at the restaurant.


OWATONNA, Minn. (AP) - An Oklahoma man is accused of stabbing a Minnesota woman 109 times and leaving her body along a highway in southern Minnesota.

A criminal complaint filed Monday in Steele County charges 21-year-old Ryan Hurd of Tulsa with second-degree murder with intent, not premeditated. He was arrested in Oklahoma on Friday - a day after the bloodied body of 19-year-old Kathryn Rose Anderson of Eagan was found.

The complaint said Hurd admitted to the stabbing. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

Anderson's father told police Hurd was her boyfriend; a friend told police the relationship was ending.

According to the complaint, Hurd had been arrested Oct. 29 for domestic assault and was prohibited from having contact with Anderson. The couple also had a ``domestic disturbance'' Oct. 7.


TULSA, Ok. - A good description of a car helps police nab two armed robbery suspects overnight. Tulsa Police Officer Keith Oakes tells KRMG how the suspects pulled the robberies at two apartment complexes. Oakes says, "A black male was approaching the victims with the gun in hand, it's a black, long revolver and just taking the property from them." Police recovered the cell phones and wallets that were taken from the victims when they stopped a car later near 61st and South Memorial. The robberies took place at the Southport Apartments near 6700 South 107th East Avenue and near 75th and South Mingo at the Cedar Glades Apartments.


Tulsa's Automated Research closes doors

By
Don Bishop
@ December 7, 2009 3:26 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - More than 100 people found themselves without their jobs and without their last paychecks when a Tulsa marketing company abruptly closed its doors.

Automated Research and Marketing ended operations on Tuesday. Workers say that on Tuesday they were told to leave the business and that the company could not provide their last checks.

Former employee Eunice Reed says she feels like she was ``robbed.''

There was no answer at the Tulsa office last night and a number for the company's headquarters in Fayetteville, Ark., led to a recording that said the line had been disconnected.

The company's Web site, which has been taken down, said Automated Research and Marketing has operated for nine years.


DA, slain pastor's mother want Anadarko answers

By
Don Bishop
@ December 7, 2009 3:20 AM
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ANADARKO, Okla. (AP) - Law officers investigating the slaying of pastor Carol Daniels inside her rural Oklahoma church say they have no prime suspect and the leads they've chased have all reached dead ends.

Caddo County District Attorney Bret Burns says he's dismayed by the lack of progress, and Daniels' mother, Charles Etta Dunlap, says she is puzzled by that investigators have stopped giving her updates.

Burns and Dunlap told The Oklahoman newspaper that they want to see the grisly crime solved. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says the media has made it difficult to pursue a suspect because of the details that appeared in news stories.

Daniels' nude body was found in a ``crucifix position'' near the altar. Her hair had been burned and her head nearly severed.


OKMULGEE, Ok. - Okmulgee Police say a Walmart clerk was held at gunpoint and the whole store was threatened by a man with a stolen pellet gun. Laura Buell was with her daughter and her friend Alana Hatt in the checkout line this week when they saw a man with a gun approach  a sales clerk. Buell says, "You just kind of want to get out. And these two were kind of looking around and I was pushing them out the door. Like we're leaving, let's go." Alana Hatt says, "I just stood there and stood there through the whole thing and when she left, she kind of grabbed me and took me out, I was just kind of shocked." Police say Sean Davis took the pellet gun from a Walmart display case and used it to threaten the clerk. Davis remains jailed and accused of robbery, kidnapping and larceny.


Tulsa's Holidady Tree of Remembrance

By
Richard Dowdell
@ December 3, 2009 3:42 PM
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(Tulsa, Ok)--A Tulsa Holiday tradition hopefully helps people deal with tragedies in their lives. The nightmare for Debbie Henry started in 2004. Her son Scott Bolton was beaten to death in downtown Tulsa. She travels from her Dallas area home back to Tulsa this time of year to take part in the annual Trees of Honor and Remembrance lighting ceremony. She helps decorate the trees in the Buddy LaFortune Community Center at 5202 South Hudson Avenue. Sponsored by Tulsa County and Federal Prosecutors, the trees are to honor those who are victims and survivors of violent crime. Henry admits the ceremony brings back troubling memories. Yet it keeps the memory of her son alive and that is comforting. She notices the trees seem to hold more ornaments each year. Henry says that means more memories of other loved ones lost to violence. 

Robberies, break-ins spike this time of year

By
Don Bishop
@ December 3, 2009 3:33 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Richard Dowdell reports the bad guys are in the holiday spirit. Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham says robberies and break-ins spike this time of year. "Typically, in the summer we average in the 500 to 600 range a month and you get into December and it increases quite significantly," Willingham says. He says there are some people who feel they must Christmas shop, whether legally or illegally.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating a possible drug deal gone bad. A man was found shot to death in the middle of the street yesterday at 4:40 p.m. near North Delaware Place and East Seminole Street. Tulsa Police Corporal Darin Filak says they believe the man was either buying or selling marijuana since several bundles of it were found around his body. He says, "...don't know if there's anymore in the car or what but there is a significant amount of marijuana on the ground around the victim." Filak says several people heard the gunshot and saw two black males drive away. The name of the victim has not been released.


Trial date set for pharmacist

By
Don Bishop
@ December 3, 2009 2:41 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A June 21 trial date has been scheduled for a pharmacist who has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a teenager.

Oklahoma County District Judge Tammy Bass-LeSure set the date Wednesday for Jerome Ersland after speaking with Ersland's attorney, Irven Box, and District Attorney David Prater.

Ersland fatally shot 16-year-old Antwun Parker, who was unarmed, on May 19 at the Reliable Discount Pharmacy in south Oklahoma City.

Prosecutors alleged that Ersland went too far when he shot Parker five more times after knocking him unconscious with a shot to the head.

Ersland said he was defending himself and two female employees, and he thought Parker had a gun.

Another robber who was armed fled the drugstore but was later caught.


Serial Robbery Suspect Arrested

By
Richard Dowdell
@ December 2, 2009 2:43 PM
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(Tulsa, Ok)--A news release from the Tulsa Police Department indicates a number of crimes may have been solved with one arrest. The release reads: "On November 30, robbery detectives assisted by fugitive warrrants detectives arrested Clinton Franklin Durnal. Durnal had oustanding warrants for two counts Attempted  Robbery and First Degreee Burglary and Larceny from an Automobile. Durnal was also suspected in several local robberies of convience stores on the west side of town. After a short pursuit Durnal was arrested. Detectives were able charge the suspect with two additional robberies. In addition Durnal was charged with three counts of possession of a firearm, eluding, resisting and possession of a controlled drug. Durnal is currently being looked at in several other robberies."

 


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa Police are investigating two overnight armed robberies that may be connected. The first one was at the Mazzio's Restaurant at 3975 South Garnett and the second was at the Whattaburger Restaurant near 1400 South Peoria. In both robberies, the suspects were described as young males armed with a shotgun. At the Whattaburger, the suspects took money from the cash register. At the Mazzio's, they took a victim's gold chain. No one has been arrested. Police also are investigating a stabbing at the Comanche Park Apartments near 3800 North Peoria. Two men were involved in an altercation inside an apartment when one man stabbed the other. The victim stumbled away from the scene and fell. He was hospitalized in extremely critical condition. Police arrested a suspect in another part of the complex. Also, a family of four is homeless after a fire destroyed their rural home at 11400 North 31st West Avenue near Sperry. The woman who lived there said she went to bed and had been sleeping when she awoke and found the fire. She, her husband and two children were able to escape without injury. Later about 3 a.m., Tulsa Police responded to a home invasion-robbery near Pine and Yale. The female occupants said they were tied up with zip-ties by three males who kicked in the front door. Two of the intruders were armed with guns. They took some video games and some cash. No one was hurt.


TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Nicole Burgin reports that a murdered boy's grandfather fears the worst. Clifford Weber fears the man who murdered his grandson will get out of prison soon because he believes the judge wants to give the killer less time than the jury is recommending. The jury convicted Larry Neeley (shown) of first degree murder in October and gave him life in prison. Weber says, "The judge told the district attorney he wants to give the man 10 to 12 years in the penitentiary and 20 years on paper. And for the victim's family, that's unacceptable for the life of an infant child." The judge pushed formal sentencing to Thursday. The Tulsa County District Attorney's Office confirms the prosecutor will be ready to argue that the jury heard the case, convicted him of murder and gave a life sentence.


TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Glenn Schroeder reports a 19-year-old is hospitalized in fair condition after a drive-by shooting about 2 p.m. yesterday. The victim was a passenger in a semi. The truck was northbound on Highway 169 near 21st when the bullet went through the window of the cab, shattering the glass and injuring the victim. The driver of the semi was unhurt. Tulsa Police Captain Walter Busby says, "We don't know all the issues surrounding this and we're trying to figure out exactly what happened, but certainly at this time of the year, we don't want to see this kind of activity going on."


TULSA, Ok. - A shooting yesterday evening left a 28-year old man hospitalized in critical condition. Tulsa police say Donnell Washington was shot in the upper torso around 6:40 p.m. near 1400 North Boston Place. He reportedly now is paralyzed from the waist down. Washington apparently was inside the house when someone shot him from outside. A child also was in the house but was not injured.


OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Authorities have located a 2-year-old boy, whom they say was taken from Mannford without permission by his grandmother.

Mannford police said late Wednesday that Phyllis Potter and Hayden Lane Potter were found in Kansas. A dispatcher at the police department had few details, but said the little boy was all right. He said he didn't know if Phyllis Potter had been arrested.

Officers began searching for the pair after the boy's mother told them Phyllis Potter didn't have permission to take the child.

Authorities say Phyllis Potter had said she was driving to McAlester to get her son out of prison.


OSBI announces creation of cold case unit

By
Don Bishop
@ November 26, 2009 2:13 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma is getting a new cold case unit.

The State Bureau of Investigation says the unit will be funded with an 18-month grant from the National Institute of Justice worth about $500,000. Agent in Charge Gary Perkinson says two new people will be hired as investigators go through about 400 cold case files dating to the early 1970s.

Perkinson says the initial focus of the unit will be on determining which of those cold cases has DNA evidence for a suspect profile, which is a requirement of the federal grant.

After the grant expires, Perkinson says the OSBI hopes to have it renewed or to receive state money to continue the cold case unit's work.


Doctor charged with murder, assault

By
Don Bishop
@ November 26, 2009 1:46 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A doctor from suburban Oklahoma City has been charged with first-degree murder in his 9-year-old son's stabbing death.

Oklahoma County prosecutors also charged Stephen P. Wolf with assault and battery with a deadly weapon Wednesday for an assault on his wife, Mary, during the same Nov. 16 incident.

A probable cause affidavit shows that a police officer answering a call of a suspicious person heard Mary Wolf screaming that someone was killing her son, Thomas.

According to the affidavit, Officer Michael Puckett found Stephen Wolf on his knees wrestling with something in the kitchen of the family's Nichols Hills home. Puckett says he ordered Wolf to put his hands up and that Wolf told him, ``You know he's got the devil in him.''

Medical records indicate Stephen Wolf has a history mental problems.

Wolf's attorney couldn't be reached to comment Wednesday.


TULSA, Ok. - Tulsa police suspect carjackers are responsible for a crash that seriously injured an elderly couple Tuesday night. Police say a speeding car rear-ended the couple's car near Apache and North Peoria. A 70-year old woman and an 84-year old man were thrown from their car as it rolled over in the crash. Police say the driver of the speeding car left his vehicle and ran away from the scene. Police do not have a description of the suspect.


Jones sues over lost elections

By
Don Bishop
@ November 25, 2009 3:12 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Republican Party Chairman Gary Jones has filed a lawsuit that claims he was cheated out of election as state auditor and inspector in 2002 and 2006.

Jones filed the lawsuit Monday in Logan County. It asks for unspecified damages from former Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife, former state Sen. Gene Stipe and former Auditor Clifton Scott, among others.

Jones alleges the defendants committed fraud, violated federal racketeering statutes and intentionally inflicted emotional distress.

Jeff McMahan is serving eight years and one month in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy in June 2008. He was convicted of taking illegal campaign contributions, trips and jewelry.

McMahan's wife, Lori, is serving six-and-a-half years after being convicted in the same trial.


TULSA, Ok. - New technology is making state troopers' jobs better and faster. A computer system called Mobile Cop recently helped one trooper recover three stolen vehicles in about a week. Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lieutenant George Brown says troopers got five hits on stolen vehicles in Oklahoma, all in one hour last week. Brown says, "It is instant information for the officer on the scene. The old adage used to be, you may be able to outrun a car, but not a radio. Now, we go one step further. You absolutely cannot outrun the World Wide Web." He says Mobile Cop also improves trooper safety because the computers are linked to other agencies so they could get to the trooper's location to offer backup.


TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's April Hill reports Tulsa Police and Fire responded to a domestic incident at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday at Sunchase Apartments, 9300 S. Memorial. They found suspect James Dean Blackwell, 23, (shown) in full body armor, threatening to set fire to his apartment. Blackwell had beaten his wife and mother-in-law with a baseball bat, according to Tulsa police. The suspect then set fire to an apartment after threatening police and firefighters that he was going to do so, according to Bill French with the Tulsa Fire Department. Firefighters got the blaze under control at about 5:44 a.m., French said. The entire building was evacuated and there were no injuries due to the arson. Two units of the apartment complex received smoke and fire damage. Police officers put Blackwell into custody at the scene. He has been booked into the Tulsa County Jail on two charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, first degree arson, committing a felony with body armor, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest.


TULSA, Ok. - Two people were arrested during a meth lab bust at a Tulsa motel early today. The bust was made after Tulsa Police tried to serve a felony arrest warrant and discovered a stolen car in the parking lot at Tulsa Inn and Suites at 4800 South 78th East Place. Tulsa Police Officer Heather Weakley says officers contacted an individual in one of the rooms and found a shake and bake meth lab inside. Weakley says, "When you have meth labs in motels a lot of the fumes can seep through the walls and other people are exposed, not just that room." Weakley says nearby rooms were evacuated just to be safe.


ME's office says child died of stab wounds

By
Don Bishop
@ November 20, 2009 4:29 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A state Medical Examiner's report says a 9-year-old boy who was killed at his home in Nichols Hills died from multiple stab wounds.

The report, released on Thursday, ruled that the death of Tommy Wolf was a homicide.

The boy's father, 51-year-old Stephen Wolf, was jailed in connection with the attack but hasn't been formally charged.

According to an arrest affidavit, Stephen Wolf told a police officer who stopped the attack that the boy had ``the devil in him.''

Medical records indicate Stephen Wolf has a history mental problems dating back to 1984 when he was hospitalized for major depression.

Wolf's attorney, Mack Martin, has declined comment.


Bail denied for doctor

By
Don Bishop
@ November 19, 2009 6:10 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma County judge has denied bail for a doctor who was arrested in the stabbing death of his 9-year-old son.

Stephen Paul Wolf lowered his head Wednesday morning during a video appearance before Special Judge Russell Hall. Wolf hasn't been formally charged.

Police have alleged that Wolf fatally stabbed his son, Tommy, and cut his wife at their home in Nichols Hills on Monday morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, Wolf repeatedly told the police officer who stopped the attack that his son had ``the devil in him.''

Hall told Wolf that police will file a report with the district attorney's office, which will then determine what charge is filed.

Wolf's attorney, Mack Martin, declined comment.


TULSA, Ok. - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Nicole Burgin reports the search is on for two suspects who forced their way into a midtown Tulsa home at 27th and Utica in the middle of the day. A housekeeper told officers she answered the door before noon and two men armed with a gun forced their way in. Police say a 9-month old baby was in his rocker while the robbers held a gun to the woman's head and ransacked the home. "Ended up taking several items from inside the location before fleeing. Right now, we're looking for a light blue, older small vehicle. It's kind of the only description we have at this point," says Officer Jason Willingham. Tulsa police say the home belongs to a Tulsa neurosurgeon who was in the middle of surgery when the home invasion took place.


Alleged Klan member competent

By
Don Bishop
@ November 18, 2009 5:50 AM
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COVINGTON, La. (AP) - An alleged Ku Klux Klan member has been found competent to stand trial in connection with the killing of an Oklahoma woman who reportedly tried to back out of a Klan initiation ceremony last year in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.

Dr. Michelle Garriga works in the Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System's forensic division and was appointed by the court to examine 21-year-old Shane Foster. Garriga said Tuesday that Foster now understands legal procedures well enough to proceed. He faces a charge of obstruction of justice.

Foster is the son of Raymond ``Chuck'' Foster, the alleged imperial wizard of the Bogalusa Sons of Dixie Knights. Chuck Foster is charged with second-degree murder in the Nov. 9, 2008, shooting death of Klan recruit Cynthia Lynch. Authorities have said the slaying occurred after Lynch told him she wanted to go home.


Doctor told officer son had 'the devil in him'

By
Don Bishop
@ November 18, 2009 5:30 AM
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NICHOLS HILLS, Okla. (AP) - A police affidavit says a doctor charged with killing his 9-year-old son said ``he's got the devil in him'' as he tried to stab the boy with a third knife, but was restrained by an officer who had just arrived.

The affidavit was filed by police to support the arrest and murder charge against Dr. Stephen P. Wolf, 51, arrested after the slaying of Tommy Wolf early Monday.

According to the affidavit, when an officer arrived at the home, the doctor's wife, Mary Wolf, told the officer, ``He's killing my son. He's killing my son.'' The officer found Wolf on the floor of the kitchen, crouched over his son, who already had two knives implanted in him, the affidavit said.

The officer had to take a third knife from Stephen Wolf before he could be handcuffed, the affidavit said.

Wolf had previously been hospitalized at least twice for treatment of depression.


Neighbor Reacts to Owasso Child Abuse Case

By
Don Bishop
@ November 17, 2009 9:13 AM
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(Owasso, OK). - AM 740 and FM 102.3 News/Talk KRMG's Steve Berg reports Debi Douthit lives near the home of Garold and Sherry McMillian.  The McMillians were arrested over the weekend, accused of locking two of their kids out of the house for five hours in 50-degree weather in the rain. Douthit says she's feeling bad because she always suspected something wasn't right. She says she's seen the teenagers, a boy and a girl, wandering outside before. "You know, you don't ever see them at home or in the yard, or on the porch. They stay away from the house. So, I just thought they would have to have some kind of reason why they left all the time," she says.  The McMillians both face a pair of possible felony abuse charges. Police first said the teens were foster children, but it's now being reported that they're apparently adopted.  Both they and the McMillian's biological kids are now in state custody.


Nichols Hills doctor arrested for death of son, 9

By
Don Bishop
@ November 17, 2009 3:33 AM
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NICHOLS HILLS, Okla. (AP) - Police in Nichols Hills say a doctor has been arrested on a murder complaint in the death of his 9-year-old son.

Police Chief Richard Mask says officers were called about 4 a.m. Monday and found Tommy Wolf wounded. Mask says the boy later died but did not reveal how or give a motive.

Mask says 51-year-old Stephen Wolf was arrested on a murder complaint in the death. A spokeswoman at the Oklahoma County jail says Wolf is being held without bond. It wasn't known if he had yet hired an attorney.

The police chief says the first 911 call came from a neighbor after Wolf's wife, Mary, sought help. He says two more calls were made from the Wolf home, apparently by Mary Wolf.

Mary Wolf is hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.

A telephone answering service employee said Wolf's office that he shares with other physicians was closed Monday and scheduled to reopen Tuesday.


OWASSO, Ok. - A search warrant for a drug suspect yesterday turned up a pipe bomb along with the alleged marijuana. The Tulsa Police Bomb Squad was called after Owasso Police found the bomb in a closet at the Greens Apartments. The device was disabled at the scene near 86th Street North and 145th East Avenue. Owasso Deputy Police Chief Scott Chambless says, "Just look at the things we've had happen recently with the fires involved from the methamphetamine labs. There's not a lot of care involved for the fellow occupants of their apartment buildings when they do these things." Chambless refused to identify the suspect who was taken to jail for drug possession. He says the suspect also could face federal charges for building a pipe bomb.


TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge has denied a request by Cintas Corp. for summary judgment in a 2007 wrongful death lawsuit in Tulsa. The ruling clears the way for a jury to hear the case against the nation's largest uniform supplier next year.

District Judge Claire Eagan wrote in a 31-page opinion that there is ``conflicting evidence'' whether Cincinnati-based Cintas managers knew workers in company laundries were breaking safety rules to save time, but did nothing to stop them.

Amalia Diaz Torres is suing Cintas, claiming the company's plant managers knew about - and even encouraged - the dangerous working practices that led to the death of her husband, Eleazar Torres-Gomez, in 2007.

Cintas has denied those allegations.

A trial is scheduled for April 19 in Tulsa federal court.


Child abuse charges filed against Owasso couple

By
Don Bishop
@ November 16, 2009 5:05 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - 42-year old Garold Ray McMillian and 42-year old Sherry L. McMillian face child abuse complaints today after they allegedly left their 14- and 15-year old foster children out in the cold Saturday night while they took their two biological children to dinner and to watch movies. Owasso police say they were called by the McMillian's neighbors who had found the juvenile female sitting outside on the ground in the cold, shivering and without her shoes Saturday night. Her brother was in the back yard in an open air fort. The girl told police that she and her brother had not done anything wrong. Police say there was no access to any food or water, but the dog kennel was lined with hay to keep the dog warm along with food and water for the pet. Garold McMillian told police that the couple had been having discipline problems with their foster children.


Shooting victim brought to hospital overnight

By
Don Bishop
@ November 13, 2009 5:20 AM
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TULSA, Ok. - A shooting victim arrived at a Tulsa hospital overnight and police began their investigation. Tulsa Police Corporal R.W. Solomon says the victim arrived in a black SUV. He says, "A female shows up who had been shot and the location of occurrence was back out at the Parkview Terrace which is about 1500 West 59th Street. Solomon says police are still interviewing the victim this morning as to what happened and medical treatments are continuing.


Will followers still obey evangelist from prison?

By
Don Bishop
@ November 13, 2009 4:29 AM
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Evangelist Tony Alamo is likely heading to prison for the rest of his life, but the apocalyptic preacher may be able to retain control of his ministry from behind bars.

Alamo, 75, will be sentenced in Arkansas on Friday to up to 175 years after being convicted in July of taking girls as young as 8 across state lines for sex.

The preacher kept control of his followers before when he was in prison for tax evasion, issuing orders by phone. He will have telephone access again. Cult expert Rick A. Ross says that could be enough to keep people loyal. Ross says they won't want to admit they made sacrifices for Alamo in vain.

While Alamo awaits sentencing, his acolytes have made pleas for leniency. They also have kept the elaborate gardens in front of his church blooming.


Death penalty rare, executions rarer in military

By
Don Bishop
@ November 12, 2009 5:21 AM
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WASHINGTON (AP) - The suspect in the shooting rampage at Fort Hood could face the death penalty.

But Maj. Nidal Hasan will be prosecuted in a military justice system where no one has been executed in nearly a half-century.

Federal civilian executions also are rare. Three men, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, have been killed by lethal injection in federal cases since 2001.

Hasan is the Army psychiatrist alleged to have killed 13 people at the massive Army installation in Texas last week. The dead include 22-year-old Spc. Jason Dean Hunt of Frederick in southwestern Oklahoma.

Much about Hasan's case will be decided by a senior Army officer - including whether to seek the death penalty.

Before a military execution can be carried out, the president must personally approve.

There hasn't been a military execution since 1961, though five men sit on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.


Report: Treatment of kids in DHS care 'immoral'

By
Don Bishop
@ November 12, 2009 2:34 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A child welfare expert says five foster children in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services were scalded in bath water, sexually molested, beaten with tree switches and belts and hit in the mouth - a pattern of abuse the expert called ``outrageous and immoral.''

The 121-page report by independent consultant Peg McCartt Hess was filed Wednesday afternoon in Tulsa federal court as part of a 2008 class-action lawsuit that accuses DHS of mistreating its foster children.

For her report, Hess reviewed case files for five of the nine children named as plaintiffs in the suit against Oklahoma by Children's Rights, a New York-based child advocacy group.

She says the abuse and neglect the children suffered while in DHS custody was ``wholly preventable.''


TULSA, Ok. - An exchange of gunfire Tuesday left one man dead and another man in the hospital. Tulsa Police Sergeant Brian Hill says a 31-year old man died at the hospital and another 26-year old male remains hospitalized. "Both shooting victims were in the driveway of the residence there and then one was able to get in the car and the other one succumbed to his wound," Hill says. Authorities are looking for 19-year old Cedric Jackson (shown) who may have fled to Slick, Oklahoma. He allegedly was present during the shootings that happened yesterday afternoon. One man was shot in a driveway near 4800 North Yorktown. That's right across the street from William Penn Elementary School where classes had just let out. The other victim was shot near 5200 North Peoria.


Hostage Standoff Ends Peacefully

By
Don Bishop
@ November 10, 2009 11:45 AM
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(Tulsa, OK) - An 8-hour standoff with a man who Tulsa Police say could be an armed robbery suspect ended peacefully at the Meadowbrook Apartments near 4th and Mingo Ave. Tuesday morning.

Police tried to verbally coax Bobby Scott out of the apartment where he was allegedly holding his girlfriend and her daughter against there will.  Later, they reportedly even fired "flashbang" stun grenades into the apartment to no avail

Police say Scott might have been involved in an armed robbery at the Family Dollar Store at 8700 East 21st around  7 p.m. and at a Subway Sandwich Shop at 11600 East 31st Place about 9:40 p.m. on Monday.

Around 11 p.m., Tulsa Police officers spotted a car at the Meadowbrook Apartment complex parking lot near 400 South Mingo that matched the description of a car used in at least one, if not two, overnight armed robberies. Police are working with the theory that the two robberies are connected. The general descriptions of the bandits are similar. In one robbery, a car matching the description of the car found at Meadowbrook was seen. Officers were aware of the description of the car from earlier experience and responded to the apartment complex looking for the car. After police found the car, they attempted to contact the residents inside an apartment.

At one point, Scott's girlfriend told police via phone that she was going to come out, but she didn't. Later on, she called her mother and said that she wasn't able to come out. 

Around 8:30 a.m., Scott's girlfriend and her daughter were released, and then a few minutes later, Scott himself surrendered along with a second man, who police did not realize was inside the apartment.  Police say they will check to see if that man is also involved with the Monday night robberies.


Victims of Tulsa double homicide identified

By
Don Bishop
@ November 10, 2009 2:20 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Tulsa police have identified two people killed during a weekend home invasion as a Tulsa man and a Californian.

Police say 22-year-old Jonathan Randall Rush of Tulsa and 29-year-old Michaellee Dwayne Richardson of Modesto, Calif., were shot when armed intruders entered the home near North Victor and East Archer Street about 10:20 p.m. Saturday.

Police also say a man wanted for questioning -Justin Bryant - has been found and is no longer a person of interest in the case. Police say Bryant was also in the home during the invasion.

Police Capt. Karen Tipler said an unspecified number of people forced their way into the home where four people were present. Bryant and a woman who were inside survived.


Drive-by defendant gets 5 straight life sentences

By
Don Bishop
@ November 10, 2009 2:09 AM
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TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A judge has sentenced a Tulsa man to five consecutive life prison terms for killing a teenager and assaulting four others in a drive-by shooting that prosecutors say stemmed from a case of mistaken identity.

Tulsa County jurors in October found Rashad R. Easley, 20, guilty of first-degree murder and four counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon in the shooting on Sept. 7, 2008. Jurors imposed a life term on each count.

Donivan Crutcher, 16, was fatally wounded and died the day after the attack. Three others in a car with Crutcher were seriously injured, and a fourth was grazed by gunfire.

At Monday's formal sentencing, District Judge Tom Gillert ordered all terms to run consecutively.

Two other defendants remain to be tried in the case. Prosecutors said Easley mistakenly believed that one of the occupants of the car at which bullets were fired had attacked him days before.


Double-Murder Victims Identified

By
Don Bishop
@ November 9, 2009 3:24 AM
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Tulsa, OK - Police say two people are dead after armed intruders entered a home at 67 North Victor Street Saturday night and fired several shots. 

 The victims were identified Monday as 22-year-old Jonathan Randall Rush of Tulsa and 29-year-old Michaellee Dwayne Richardson of Modesto, California.

Authorities say officers were sent to the scene about 10:20 p.m. Saturday after a report of shots fired.

Police Capt. Karen Tipler said an unspecified number of people forced their way into the home, where four people were present. Two survived, including one witness who was in a room separate from where the fatal shootings occurred, she said.

``Some folks came in, banged on the door and after three attempts finally came inside, yelled at everybody to get on the ground,'' Tipler said.

Police say they have located Justin Bryant, believed to be from Modesto, Calif., who they described as a ``person of interest'' in the case.  But they now say they no longer consider him a "person of interest".


BROKEN ARROW, Ok. - The shootings at Fort Hood worried a Broken Arrow member of the Blue Star Mothers. Genie Tate finally learned yesterday that her son, Sergeant Matt Tate, was not hurt in the shooting. But afterwards, Genie and Matt's wife in Texas were anxious as they listened to the news. Genie says, "And he finally was able to get through and called and talked to her for less than a minute, but he is great, doing good and all the guys in the aviation department." Genie Tate is hoping that her son can come home for the weekend.


TULSA, Ok. - A man was robbed on the parking lot at the Riverchase Apartments at 7901 Riverside Drive. Police say two men with a gun demanded and received the victim's wallet then left on foot. No one was injured in the holdup about 1:12 a.m. Just before that a man walking near 6800 South Rockford was approached by two men armed with a pistol who demanded the victim's wallet, took it and then drove away. Police say both robberies may have been committed by the same bandits. Then around 3 a.m., a woman was the victim of a home invasion near 2500 South 125th East Avenue. Later, police stopped a vehicle on East Apache Street that may have been used in the crime in which the woman lost several valuables.


Tulsa attorney charged with embezzlement

By
Don Bishop
@ November 6, 2009 5:15 AM
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Attorney General Drew Edmondson says a Tulsa attorney and a former attorney have allegedly embezzled more than $1.1 million from clients.

Edmondson says William J. Anton and Fred M. Schraeder are accused in Tulsa County District Court of racketeering, conspiracy and multiple counts of embezzlement, forgery and workers' compensation fraud.

Anton is a former lawyer who surrendered his law license in 2007 but continued to practice illegally. He and Schraeder are accused of embezzling from clients' personal injury and life insurance settlements and workers' compensation benefits claims.

The state alleges Anton is responsible for embezzling slightly more than $1 million and Schraeder helped him embezzle about $155,000 more.

Anton was arrested Thursday by attorney general investigators and the Tulsa Police Department. Schraeder is not in custody.



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