Heres a look at your news for Monday May 3^rd, 2010

The third defendant in the April 19^th home invasion that claimed the life of an Ardmore man appeared in Carter County District Court Friday to face first-degree murder and first-degree burglary charges. 21yr old Jamane Stubblefield was ordered detained pending the posting of a 1.5 million dollar bond in connection with the gunshot slaying of Eric Knight. Stubblefield is incarcerated at the Carter County Detention Center, along with his co-defendant 27yr old William Bernard Brown and 16yr old Mike Alfonso Murillo who are also charged with the murder. Preliminary hearing for the 3 men is set for 9am June 25^th. Ardmore Police continue to search for others involved in the slaying and ask anyone with information to contact police at 223-1212 or call crime stoppers at 504-4529. Callers can remain anonymous.

Auto burglars have been hitting Northwest Ardmore neighborhoods hard in the past week and police say in most cases the victims of the crimes are assisting the thieves in successfully snatching their property. Sgt Eric Hamlin said more than 20 auto burglaries were reported Thursday and Friday and more reports came in on Saturday. In most cases the cars were left unlocked with easy to steal property left in plain sight. The city urges citizens to not only lock their vehicles, but to remove items like electronics, jewelry, and cell phones. Either take these items with you or lock them in the trunk.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is in the preliminary stages of widening a half-mile stretch of Meridian Road North from U.S. Highway 70 to Grove Mart Grocery to three lanes in an effort to reduce traffic congestion. The goal is to have a Northbound, Southbound and turning lane to help maintain traffic flow on one of Lone Grove’s most heavily used roads.

Heres a look at your news for Monday April 19^th, 2010

44yr old Robert Kane a Denison High School graduate, a father of 3 and a grandfather became the victim of a brutal assault and murder early Sunday morning. It happened at The Towne Pub on South Armstrong. Denison police say it doesn’t look like robbery was a motive in the beating death and say they’re not sure what sparked the fight. One man is in custody for the murder. Police are not releasing the man’s name accused of killing Robert Kane but say he’s being held in the Denison jail.

U.S. Marshals arrested a fugitive, they say has been on the run for more than two weeks, after robbing a Sherman motel. 19yr old Andrew Michael Smith was arrested at an Arlington apartment complex. Authorities say the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, which is part U.S. Marshals and local law enforcement agencies made the arrest about 7pm Friday evening. Sherman police say Smith, along with 18yr old Johnny Brownlow, robbed the Executive Inn on March 29^th. Smith and Brownlow are now both facing aggravated robbery charges.

A Wilson woman was admitted in critical condition with internal injuries to Mercy Memorial Health Center in Ardmore early Saturday after the vehicle she was driving crashed on Highway 70, about a mile west of Tribble. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 31yr old Stormy Allen was the only person involved in the accident that happened around 2:30am. Reports say Allen was westbound on the highway when her pickup ran off the road and rolled. Allen was not buckled in and was thrown 45 feet.

Street closings for this week in Ardmore are the intersection of G street Southwest and 3^rd Avenue S.W., and the intersection of Ash and Robinson streets will be closed this week.

Heres a look at your news for Thursday April 15^th 2010

Two Healdton teenagers are in custody after the Healdton Police Department says the 2 barricaded themselves inside a trailer house around 4pm. Police say the teens were armed with 2 rifles and a pistol, believed to be taken in a recent burglary and are suspects in several other burglaries in the area. Police say the boys threatened to open fire on law enforcement and on the father of one of the boys, who was being held against his will inside the house. Ardmore and Cater County SWAT teams responded. Healdton police say after making phone contact with the father, he managed to escape the house, unharmed. The teens were then contacted and they agreed to surrender peacefully. The 2 could face multiple burglary charges, as well as possession of a firearm and kidnapping charges which are all felonies. The teens will be held in the Healdton jail pending further investigation.

A rollover accident killed a Bryan County man early Wednesday morning. 39yr old John K. Mathews of Colbert was driving his Ford pickup on State Highway 91 just after 1:30 in the morning about a mile west of Achille. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol say Mathews left the roadway to his right and struck some trees, then rolled his truck. He died at the scene. Troopers say the smell of alcohol was present.

A 13yr old Fannin County boy was hospitalized Wednesday evening after being shot with a shotgun by his brother. The Fannin County Sheriff’s Office says it happened at a home north of Savoy, near Highway 82 and County Road 1235. A 16yr old was cleaning a 12-gauge shotgun when it discharged, sending buckshot through the wall, which hit the 13yr old in the hand and stomach. The younger boy was taken to Texoma Medical Center, suffering from serious, but non-life threatening injuries. The boys’ parents were at work at the time of the shooting. The shooting appears to be accidental and no one else was hurt.

Heres a look at your news for Tuesday April 13, 2010

A body believed to be that of a missing Hugo man was found Monday morning near the Choctaw/Pushmataha county line. The body was found 3.5miles south from where the burned vehicle of 39yr old Robert Strickland was found last week in southern Pushmataha County. On Friday, 26yr old Clifton Parrish of Fort Towson, and 25yr old Aaron Jacobs of Spencerville were arrested for probable cause in the murder of Strickland. OSBI believes the 2 lured Strickland out to a remote area in hopes of robbing him. They collected evidence from several crime scenes last week and say they believe Strickland was assaulted at one location and then taken to another location where he was killed. His truck was found at a third location. Strickland had been missing since Monday. The body has been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Oklahoma City, where a positive identification and cause of death will be determined.

Joshua Dewayne Moore stood in court Monday for his preliminary hearing accused of murdering a mother of 3 in Marietta. Moore is charged with first degree manslaughter. State prosecutors say Moore beat his live-in girlfriend, Keyana Hubbard to death last spring. The district attorney’s office tells us the state called 3 witnesses Monday. The judge ruled there was enough evidence to send Moore to trial. His next date is set for June. Right now he remains in the Love County jail.

A accident in Bryan County sent 3 people to the hospital Monday morning. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said 85yr old Robert Trent, was driving a Honda south on Silo Road trying to get onto Highway 70 around 10:15 just west of Durant when he started to go then hesitated. A Chevy pickup that was southbound on 70 hit the Honda, ejecting 20yr old Amanda Graham, of Mead from the backseat. Graham who is pregnant was flown to Parkland Hospital in Dallas in serious condition. Another passenger in the truck, Dewayne Krunk, of Mead, along with Trent, was taken to local hospitals with less serious injuries. Troopers say Highway 70 was completely shut down for a half hour. They say Trent failed to yield at the stop sign. No word whether citations will be issued.  

Heres a look at your news for Friday April, 9^th, 2010

Authorities in southern Oklahoma continue the search for 39yr old Robert Strickland from Hugo who left his home early Monday morning and was expected home a short time later, but never returned. Investigators say they found his burned Ford Explorer in rural Pushmataha County. They are searching in both Choctaw and Pushmataha Counties for Strickland. OSBI spokesperson, Jessica Brown, said right now there are more questions than answers surrounding Strickland’s disappearance. Strickland’s common-law wife reported him missing to authorities on Tuesday. If you have any information concerning Robert Strickland, you are asked to contact the O.S.B.I., the Choctaw County Sheriff’s Office, or Hugo Police.  

Paramedics at the Southern Oklahoma Ambulance Service have responded to dozens of car accidents in their careers, including Thursday’s mock wreck as part of the service’s Impact 2010 program, and although the victims and circumstances were fake, the overall message was not. Lights and sirens filled the air Thursday morning as emergency personnel responded to the simulated drunk driving wreck in Wilson, as more than 200 high school juniors and seniors looked on. They wanted to show the kids that it’s always a possibility. It could be any of their friends. It could be any of them in any of those situations. Firefighters, paramedics, and state troopers worked on the victims of the mock wreck, airlifted one student, and putting two others in body bags, making the scene as authentic as possible. Representatives and volunteers from the Victims Impact Panel of Oklahoma also took part in the program, sharing their stories of loved ones hurt or lost due to drink driving. Healdton, Fox, and Ringling High Schools all participated in the mock wreck. McLeod says he wants to expand Impact to other area school, and plans to share the program with students from different parts of the country next year.

Police in Sherman made a pot bust Wednesday evening on Highway 75 when they pulled over what used to be a police vehicle. Officers say they pulled over the Ford Crown Victoria marked “police interceptor” just before 7pm, and found a pound of marijuana in the vehicle’s trunk. The driver, Eric Babers, was arrested for possession and booked into the Grayson County Jail.  

Heres a look at your news for Wednesday April 7^th, 2010

A partial autopsy report on 7yr old Asia Johnson says the girl died a violent, unusual or unnatural death. The girl’s body was found last week near Norman with the body of Lester Hobbs. Police believe Hobbs abducted the girl and killed her ten himself after killing his estranged wife Tonya Hobbs on Jan. 24^th. The report released Monday says Asia suffered cuts to her neck but does not give a suspected cause of death. A report on Hobbs also says he died a violent death but does not list a cause. The autopsy report on Tonya Hobbs says she was stabbed in the abdomen and neck and beaten in the head with a heavy instrument, possibly a hammer.

Sherman police are asking for help in locating an escaped mental patient. Officers say 29yr old Joseph Eli Redd got out through the fire escape of the Behavioral Health Center at 2601 Cornerstone in Sherman around 1:30 Tuesday afternoon. He was brought in Monday on an emergency detention order after aggressive delusional behavior toward his family. Redd is described as a white male, 5’8” approximately 220 pounds, with short brown hair, and a mustache and goatee last seen wearing a white brown button down shirt over an orange shirt, gray sweat pants and flip flops. Anyone that comes into contact with Redd is asked to call Sherman Police at 903-892-7290.

An Ardmore woman is in jail after police say she committed robbery using a baseball bat. Officers say 22yr old Tara Natel Richardson was arrested Sunday around 5pm in the 1200 block of 6^th Street Northeast. Police say Richardson and another woman were involved in an argument when Richardson forced her way into the woman’s apartment and threatened the woman with a baseball bat and demanded money. Richardson is facing charges of first degree burglary, robbery by force or fear, and destruction of private property. She remains in Carter County Jail on $20,000 bond.  

Heres a look at your news for Tuesday April 6^th 2010

Callisburg lost a friend and a coach over the Easter weekend. Coach Dennis McAlister was killed Easter Sunday when his car was struck from behind while heading home from a visit with family in Oklahoma. News of the accident spread throughout the Community and students gathered Monday in an assembly to talk about their loss and pray for Coach Mac’s family. The school has extra people on staff to help the kids grieve and talk about their concerns this week. The Texas Department of Public Safety said charges were pending further investigation.

Police in Bells say a dually pickup, with a travel trailer attached, turned left on to Highway 82 from Highway 69, hitting the front of an Audi that was headed south on 69. The driver in the Audi was flown by medical helicopter to a Dallas hospital with serious injuries. Another accident a short time later but in Whitewright involved a woman driving down Highway 11 attempting to pass a semi. It happened near FM 151 when the woman lost control of the vehicle and hit the side of the trailer. The force of the accident caused the back of the car to slide underneath the semi trailer. The driver of the car was taken to Red River Regional Hospital, but was not seriously hurt. The truck driver was not injured.

Authorities in Atoka believe they have a new lead on an escaped inmate. Yesterday the Atoka Sheriff’s Office reported a stolen vehicle 7 miles north of the prison, and they say they suspect Tracy Cartwright stole the pickup. Cartwright escaped from the Howard McLeod Correctional Center last Friday. He has a long history of burglary. The stolen vehicle is a red 1995 Ford single cab pickup with Oklahoma tags 56-EBF. It has a dent in the back bumper and on the hood. If you have any information you are asked to call the Howard McLeod Correctional Center at 580-889-6651.

Durant voters will head to the polls today to approve or reject a new school bond. School Administrators say the bond is designed to have minimum impact on Taxpayers. The Durant School District is taking a $7 million bond issue to the voters, but the measure wouldn’t raise taxes a single cent. The money would be used to improve security and technology in the schools, making the bond a win-win for Durant.  

Heres a look at your news for Monday April 5^th 2010

Two men were injured when the car they were in crashed while running from police on a county road 2.5 miles southwest of Davis Friday. The driver 26yr old Tommy Harmon and the passenger 19yr old Sonny Harmon were both air lifted to Norman Regional hospital in stable condition. Neither man was wearing a seatbelt prior to the accident. An officer noticed some suspicious activity in the parking lot of a local motel and went to have a look when the car and a pickup saw the officer and started to pull out. The pickup stopped but the car containing the Harmon’s did not and the chase was on from there. Officers found out why the men ran a short time later when they learned the car that the men were in had just been stolen.

McKinney Police say they responded to reports of a suicidal man barricaded inside a house around 3:40 Friday afternoon in the 500 block of Lewis Canyon Lane. Officers made contact with 35yr old Tab Brewer inside. Police then convinced him to allow his wife, five children and two pastors to leave the home. An explosion then tore through the house a short time later, setting fire to it and a neighboring home. Brewer’s body was found inside the home after fire fighters put the fire out. The Plano Bomb Squad later located a suspicious device in Brewer’s car and detonated it.    

A family in Bryan County is left homeless, after flames gutted their mobile home yesterday. Now firefighters are trying to determine the cause of the fire. Fire destroyed the home in the 4100 block of Platter Road. One man was home when the fire started around 2 o’clock, he was able to make it out unharmed. Volunteer firefighters from Calera, Colbert and Cartwright responded to the call. Firefighters say the fire started in the living room, but the home had no electricity or running water, so they’re not sure what sparked the flames. The house fire remains under investigation.

A second arrest has been made in the deadly Cooke County shorting that happened last week. Authorities say 17yr old Daniel Sims is in jail, being held on $300,000 bond. Simms is accused of taking part in the murder of 19yr old Jesse Hensley. Sims was arrested Friday afternoon. 17yr old Aaron Williams is also in jail for the crime. Williams admitted Thursday to killing Hensley.

Street Closings for this week in Ardmore are the intersection of Cherry and Robinson will be closed. The intersection of Elm and Robinson will be closed and G Street S.W. between Stanley Avenue and 3^rd Avenue S.W. will be closed.

Heres a look at your news for Friday April 2^nd, 2010

One arrest has been made in a motel robbery earlier this week in Sherman but another is still on the loose. Police say they arrested 18yr old Johnny Brownlow Jr. on Wednesday afternoon. He was booked into the Grayson County Jail for his involvement in the early morning robbery of the Executive Inn motel on Texoma Parkway. The suspect wore a ski mask and was dressed in black, pointed a handgun at the clerk, and made off with cash. The other suspect in the robbery police are looking for is 19yr old Andrew Michael Smith. Police say Smith should be considered armed and dangerous. If you have any information on his whereabouts you’re asked to call police at 903-892-7290.

The Ada Police Department says they have identified the body found in a wooded area on Monday as a missing person. Police say tattoos on the body helped them identify it as 39yr old Rowdy Ratford, who was reported missing by his family on January 14^th after he was last seen running from Valley View Hospital. The body was found about three quarters of a mile from the hospital in a ravine on the northeast side of Ada. The medical examiner hasn’t determined an exact cause of death, but police found discarded clothing in the woods, and think Ratford could have died from hypothermia.

The Southern Oklahoma Blood Institute is asking for your help to restore their blood supply. SOBI says blood usage in hospitals in Oklahoma is out pacing the amount of blood they have in blood banks. They are in critical need for all types of blood, especially with the Easter holiday coming up. The blood supply is down to about a day and a half. The Southern Oklahoma Blood Institute will be open until 5pm today, Saturday from 8 until 2 and Sunday from 1 to 5.

Heres a look at your news for Tuesday March 30, 2010

An Ardmore business owner is accused of setting fire to her own shop, with the help of three others. 3 of the 4 are out of jail on bond, but authorities say the 4^th suspect failed to appear in court. Fire broke out at the Yellow Rose Flower and Gift shop the day after Valentines’ Day. Now they are charged with Arson. Authorities say the arsonists tore down the ceiling tiles before setting the fire in the attempt to make the rafters catch fire and do more damage to the building. Second degree arson charges have been filed against the shop owner 36yr old Denise Baxter, her boyfriend 35yr old Jamie Lawson and 2 of their friends Thomas Dillard and Bruce Revels. It’s believed that the group set the fire to collect the insurance money. Bruce Revels was the only one of the 4 that failed to appear for court. They are all set to be back in court at the end of April.

Durant firefighters spent most of Monday evening fighting a fire in Bryan County. The fire was 2 miles west of Cobb on Highway 78 just before 6:30 last night. No one was hurt but the house was a total loss. Fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire.

A mother and son were arrested over the weekend accused of dealing drugs in Bryan County. Achille police say they arrested 46yr old Lisa Cruz, and her son, 20yr old Darrell Cruz, when they executed a search warrant at eh family’s home Friday. Inside officers found marijuana, prescription pills, cash and weapons. Both are facing several charges. Each was booked into Bryan County.

The woman accused of driving drunk and killing another on Highway 75 last month pleaded guilty in court Monday. 44yr old Bobbi Elvington, entered a guilty plea for intoxication manslaughter Monday afternoon and was sentenced to 14yrs in prison.