Michael Vance was a man with nothing to lose. That is how Oklahoma law enforcement described him after the suspected sex offender shot two Wellston police officers before savagely murdering two relatives and going on the run.
After nearly a week with no sign of the fugitive, a farmer spotted Vance camping near the Washita River along Highway 34 in Hammon. After being spotted, Vance abandoned his hiding place as law enforcement agencies from around the state swarmed the area.
The next sighting of Michael Vance came a short time later, when Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander attempted to pull over a vehicle near Leedey. The vehicle was dragging a chain, and Sheriff Sander did not realize that the armed and dangerous subject of Oklahoma's first "Blue Alert" was driving. Vance exited the stolen vehicle and immediately began shooting, striking the sheriff in the arm and shoulder.
The shooting of the Dewey County Sheriff prompted a swift chase by law enforcement that continued for about 20-25 minutes before coming to an end near Butler, where Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers "pinned him down." During an exchange of gunfire, OHP troopers shot and killed the fugitive, putting an end to Oklahoma's most dramatic manhunt in recent history.
The manhunt and the early enactment of the state's Blue Alert system were prompted by last Sunday's shooting of two Wellston police officers and the murders of Ronald Wilkson, 55, and his wife Valerie Wilkson, 54, described as relatives of Michael Vance.
The police were shot after responding to a call claiming shots had been fired. At the scene, they found a group of people displaying guns in a truck. At first, police say, the group was cooperative, but when they asked for ID's, Vance began shooting, taking cover behind the men and women in the group. Vance shot two officers and was wounded himself before fleeing in a police pickup.
From there, he drove to a trailer park and carjacked a vehicle before continuing to the Wilksons' Luther home, where he murdered the couple.
Vance was suspected of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, and had recently been released from jail after his arrest on a complaint of lewd acts with a child under 16. Police say he may have believed that the Wilksons would testify against him, prompting him to kill them. before stealing their car.
After stealing the Wilksons' Mitsubishi, the fugitive drove to Sayre, where he tried to carjack an RV. Although he shot the vehicle's owner in the leg, he was unable to steal the RV, and fled in the Mitsubishi. From there, the trail went cold. Until yesterday, no one had seen Vance since the attempted carjacking early Monday morning.
For many Oklahomans, the killing of Michael Vance by law enforcement officials brings a sense of relief. Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel calls the fatal conclusion of the manhunt "a good conclusion for the citizens of Oklahoma."
Image credit: Oklahoma Highway Patrol
There have been some pretty shocking allegations against Oklahoma law enforcement officers over the last few years. Former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was convicted as a serial rapist after sexually assaulting several women while on duty. Former Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Harris is expected to plead guilty to several charges relating to the sexual assault of three women while on duty. Former Tulsa County Sheriff's Deputy Gerald Nuckolls was sentenced to eight years in prison for on-duty indecent exposure and sexual battery. And these are just a few of the Oklahoma law officers accused of sex crimes.
Now, another is added to the list: former Perry police officer Matthew Lance Vassar, 45, has resigned from the police department after he was accused of sexually abusing a girl over the past few years.
According to reports, the now 12-year-old girl told a friend that Vassar had been touching her inappropriately for three or four years. That friend told her parents, who called the child's mother and told her what their daughter had said. Reports say the girl's mother immediately called the police and filed a protective order against Vassar, citing sexual assault as the reason for the order of protection.
Vassar was arrested at a relative's home in Ponca City last week on a complaint of lewd molestation and booked into the Kay County jail. Bond was initially set at $750,000, but was later reduced to $150,000 with stipulations that, upon release, he wear a GPS ankle monitor, surrender his passport, and have no contact with the alleged victim.
Lewd molestation is prosecuted in Oklahoma under 21 O.S. § 1123 - Lewd or Indecent Proposals or Acts to a Child under 16. Under this law, it is a felony to make any sexually explicit suggestion to a minor under 16 or to touch the body of a child under 16 in a lewd or lascivious manner. The penalties for lewd acts with a minor are severe: if the child involved is aged 12 to 15, the crime is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison. If the child involved is younger than 12 years old, the penalty is a minimum of 25 years. In either case, conviction is punishable by lifetime sex offender registration.
The allegations in this case are that the sexual abuse began in approximately 2013, years before the child accuser turned 12. If convicted, the former police officer faces 25 years to life in prison.
Image Credit: Kay County Reentry Coalition
An Oklahoma death row inmate has won a review of his death sentence after the United States Supreme Court ordered the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to take a second look at the sentencing.
Shaun Michael Bosse was convicted in McClain County 2012 of three counts of first degree murder for killing his girlfriend Katrina Griffin, 25, and her two children, Christian, 8, and Chastity, 6, in 2010. Bosse stabbed Katrina and Christian before putting Chastity in a closet and wedging the door shut to prevent her escape. He then set the home on fire. Prosecutors say he killed the woman and two children to cover up the theft of several items from Griffin.
As prosecutors allowed relatives to give their victim impact statements to the jury, they asked the family members what they thought a proper sentence would be. Family members recommended death for Bosse. Although his attorney objected, a judge allowed the family members to recommend a sentence for the convicted man.
Bosse appealed the sentence, citing a 1987 Supreme Court ruling that the Eighth Amendment "prohibits a capital sentencing jury from considering victim impact evidence” that does not “relate directly to the circumstances of the crime.”
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals rejected that claim, saying that a subsequent Supreme Court decision overruled the 1987 decision, and that the judge did not err in allowing the victim impact statements and the family members' sentence request.
Bosse then took his case to the United States Supreme Court, which has now ruled in favor of the appellant, saying, "The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals remains bound by (the 1987 precedent's) prohibition on characterizations and opinions from a victim’s family members about the crime, the defendant, and the appropriate sentence unless this Court reconsiders that ban."
The Supreme Court has ordered the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to review the Bosse's death sentence to determine if the improperly admitted victim impact statements affected the jury's decision in rendering a death sentence.
Image credit: Beatrice Murch
In an interesting case out of Australia, a stepfather was convicted of possession of child pornography and must register as a sex offender after keeping the images his stepdaughter sent to a boyfriend as "evidence."
When Ashan Ortell, 57, discovered that his 15-year-old stepdaughter had been sending sexually explicit text messages and images to her boyfriend, he notified the school and police. However, he was not satisfied with the school's response to discovering the sexts.
In order to preserve evidence, Ortell confiscated the girl's phone and downloaded the inappropriate pictures to his computer and a USB drive. However, police informed Ortell that he could be prosecuted for possession of child pornography if he did not delete the images. Ortell, who is the one who notified police he had the images to start with, refused to delete them.
Police then conducted a series of raids in 2013 in which they confiscated the man's computer and USB devices. In a search of the electronics, they discovered 18 images that he had retrieved from his stepdaughter's phone.
Ortell was charged and subsequently convicted, even though a judge admitted that his "crime" did not have the lewd intent typically associated with child pornography possession.
"There is no suggestion of any exploitation of them by anybody. You made no attempt to conceal the images. In fact you were so concerned that you contacted the authorities about the images," the judge acknowledged. However, the judge found that despite no lewd intent, the Ortell violated the law in keeping the images, because under the law, people may not keep sexually explicit images of children.
The man faced up to five years in prison, but given the nature of his "crime" and his lack of criminal history, he was instead sentenced to a year of "good behavior bond." Unfortunately, under the law, he must still register as a sex offender for a period of eight years, despite not having exploited anyone.
Under Oklahoma law, child pornography possession and distribution laws do not apply to "persons who may possess or distribute obscene matter or child pornography or participate in conduct otherwise prescribed by this act, when such possession, distribution, or conduct occurs in the course of law enforcement activities" (21 O.S. § 1021.1). However, the stepfather in the Australian case was not a law enforcement officer, a prosecutor, or a judge who was in possession of the materials for the purpose of facilitating the case. Instead, he had been ordered to destroy the images, but determined they were evidence in spite of the police determination that there was no criminal case.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe the man should have been convicted and required to register as a sex offender?
Image credit: Pro Juventute
Attorneys for the woman accused of intentionally ramming her car into a crowd of parade spectators are seeking a change of venue for her upcoming murder and assault trial.
Adacia Avery Chambers, 26, is charged with four counts of second degree murder and 42 counts of assault and battery by means or force likely to produce death. Prosecutors say Chambers exhibited a "depraved mind" when she plowed into the parade-goers at last year's Oklahoma State University homecoming parade. Initially, the woman was arrested on a DUI complaint, but blood tests soon revealed she was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the crash.
At least one witness says the woman told him immediately after the crash that she "wanted to be free" and that she was trying to kill herself at the time. She reportedly asked, "Is everyone okay?" after driving through the crowd and killing four people, including a married couple, a college student, and a 2-year-old boy. Of the dozens of injured people, 11 were children under the age of 13.
Chambers's defense lawyer argued that his client was not competent to stand trial; however, at a competency hearing, a judge determined that the defendant was mentally competent to understand the charges against her and to assist in her defense.
Now, her lawyer is seeking to move the trial out of Stillwater, saying that his client cannot get a fair trial in Payne County, at a courthouse only a mile and a half from where the collision took place. According to the request, Chambers will be unable to receive an impartial jury for her case, given the "widespread pre-trial media publicity" of her case.
Currently, her trial is scheduled to begin January 10.
Chambers is charged with murder under an Oklahoma law that classifies homicide as second degree murder "[w]hen perpetrated by an act imminently dangerous to another person and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual" (21 O.S. § 701.8). She faces 10 years to life in prison for each of the four counts of second degree murder.
As for each of the 42 counts of assault and battery by means or force as is likely to produce death (21 O.S. § 652), the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Her attorney plans to raise the issue of mental illness or insanity in her defense.
Image credit: thecollegerag
The latest of a string of Oklahoma death row inmates to appeal to the United States Supreme Court have lost their final appeals when SCOTUS declined to review their cases.
The three inmates will now join eight others in becoming eligible for execution dates when or if the state resumes lethal injections following a series of mishaps that have prompted the state to call a temporary moratorium on capital punishment.
The inmates seeking relief from the Supreme Court include the following:
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he will not seek any execution dates until the state has completed a review of the lethal injection process following the botched execution of Clayton Lockett, the use of the wrong drug in the execution of Charles Warner, and the last-minute discovery of the wrong lethal injection drug, prompting the postponement of the execution of Richard Glossip.
A federal judge has awarded $6.5 million to a former Hollis resident who says the Harmon County Sheriff and others failed to prevent her rape by the former assistant police chief.
Tiffany Ann Glover, who has since moved out of state, says that she became the victim of unwanted sexual advances by Hollis assistant police chief Jayson Vest, after he responded to a domestic violence call involving her in October 2012.
Glover says that approximately two months later, Vest pulled up behind her as she parked her car at a relatives home. She says the policeman asked her out on a date, and when she declined, he arrested her on complaints of DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In the lawsuit, Glover says that she was booked into the Harmon County jail, where she remained for more than a month. During that time, Vest continued to sexually harass the woman. The lawsuit alleges that Glover told jail staff and Harmon County Sheriff Joe Johnson that she was being sexually harassed and targeted for abuse by Vest; however, her concerns were ignored.
Eventually, in January 2013, Vest sexually assaulted Glover in the police chief's office at the jail. In June 2013, Vest pleaded no contest to the charges and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Upon Vest's conviction, the DUI and paraphernalia charges against Glover were dropped.
Sheriff Joe Johnson, who has been Harmon County Sheriff for more than 20 years and who is up for re-election this year, says that Glover never told him about unwanted advances, sexual harassment, or any other issues with Vest.
However, a federal judge ruled that the sheriff failed in his duties to prevent the sexual assault of an inmate at the Harmon County jail. The judge awarded the plaintiff $6.5 million.
The lawsuit also named Vest, Hollis Police Chief David Leathers, and the city of Hollis as defendants. However, settlements were reached with those defendants prior to trial.
Defense attorneys for Sheriff Johnson are expected to appeal the federal judge's decision.
Image credit: InmateAid.com
A Tishomingo alternative school teacher--who also happens to be the wife of the district superintendent--was arrested on Friday in the parking lot of the school where she works.
Shelly Jo Duncan, 48, was arrested on a complaint of lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child under 16 after the parent of a 14-year-old student reported to authorities that she found evidence of inappropriate communication and contact between the teen and the teacher on the boy's cell phone.
Documents indicate that Duncan would communicate with the student via Snapchat, believing that their messages to each other would be erased. Investigators say that their messages included discussions about where they would have sex, and that Duncan would tell the teen about the sex acts that she wanted to perform on him, calling him "boo" and "love."
The boy allegedly told police that Duncan took him to her workplace where they "undressed and touched each other inappropriately."
The suspect's resume makes her seem an unlikely candidate for committing a sex crime against a minor: Duncan is an English teacher at a Tishomingo alternative school, but she is also the high school cheer coach and she is certified Pre-K through 12th grade school counselor. Formerly, she has worked as a Juvenile Justice Specialist at the Office of Juvenile Affairs. She has additionally worked for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as a probation and parole officer, and she is currently a reserve officer with the Murray State College Police Department.
A sexual relationship between a student under 20 and a teacher in the same district is always forbidden by Oklahoma law, even if the child has reached the age of consent, which is 16 in Oklahoma. Because of the nature of the relationship--a student is considered to be under the authority of a teacher--a student is denied the legal capability to consent to sex with a district employee to prevent abuses of power by the authority figure.
In this case, however, the student involved in the allegations is only 14 years old, which would be an illegal relationship even if the suspect were not a teacher. Under Oklahoma law, sexual communication and contact with a minor under the age of 16 are prosecuted as lewd or indecent proposals or acts.
According to 21 O.S. § 1123, lewd acts is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison if the child involved is aged 12 or older; if the child is under 12, the crime is punishable by 25 years to life. Anyone convicted of lewd or indecent proposals or acts with a child under 16 must register for life as an Oklahoma sex offender.
Image credit: Maurizio Pesce
Neither of the two brothers who went on a Broken Arrow stabbing rampage that killed five members of their family and injured another will face the death penalty, after the only brother eligible for capital punishment entered a plea deal that would ultimately save his life.
Robert Bever, now 19, was 18 years old when he and his 16-year-old brother Michael went on a killing spree, stabbing to death their mother, father, two brothers (12 and 7), and a sister (5). Another sister (13) was critically injured in the attack. A toddler sister was found unharmed in an upstairs room of the house.
Police believe the 12-year-old brother who died of his injuries was responsible for saving the lives of the two surviving sisters when he placed a 9-1-1 call for help. Investigators say Robert and Michael planned to continue the killing spree outside the family home and into populated areas.
Because Michael Bever was only 16 at the time of the killings, he is ineligible for the death penalty, according to state and federal law. Robert, however, was a legal adult at 18, and he was facing the death penalty if convicted of his crimes.
But earlier this month, the eldest Bever brother escaped the death penalty by accepting a plea agreement that would land him in prison for the rest of his life. Ironically, Robert Bever attempted suicide in the Tulsa County Jail in June, less than three months before accepting a deal that would spare his life.
Last Wednesday, Robert Bever pleaded guilty in Tulsa County District Court to five counts of first degree murder and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill. He is sentenced to life in prison without parole for each of the murder charges, and he is sentenced to life in prison for the assault and battery with intent to kill conviction. All sentences are to be served consecutively, meaning Robert Bever will spend the rest of his life in jail.
As for the younger brother, Michael, the case is still pending. Michael is charged as an adult in the case. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 11, 2017, and the trial--if the case comes to that--is set for June 5, 2017. Michael Bever's attorney says that he plans to use a "mental health defense" in the teen's case.
A Tulsa man has been arrested after police say he fired a shotgun out of the window of his home, striking the inside of his neighbor's house and narrowly missing his neighbor's pregnant daughter and a baby girl.
When police received reports that someone had fired a shotgun shell into a home near 39th West Avenue and West 8th Street in Tulsa, they responded quickly and arrived on the scene within minutes. As soon as they arrived, they heard another gunshot and surrounded the home from which the gun was apparently fired.
As they did so, a man and a woman holding a young child exited the home. The man told police that he thought he heard someone trying to break into his home, so he fired twice from a west-facing window, which is where he thought a would-be intruder was standing.
Instead, each of his two gunshots entered a neighbor's home. The neighbor told police that one round nearly struck her pregnant daughter and a young child who was lying with her.
Police arrested Albert Clarence Jackson, 35, on a complaint of recklessly handling a firearm. Tulsa police described him as "agitated and yelling" when he was placed under arrest early Monday morning. He was booked into the Tulsa County Jail and quickly released on $1,000 bond.
Reckless conduct with a firearm is prohibited under the Oklahoma Firearms Act of 1971. According to 21 O.S. 1289.11, "It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in reckless conduct while having in his or her possession any shotgun, rifle or pistol, such actions consisting of creating a situation of unreasonable risk and probability of death or great bodily harm to another, and demonstrating a conscious disregard for the safety of another person. Any person convicted of violating the provisions of this section shall be punished as provided in Section 1289.15 of this title."
Penalties for reckless handling of a firearm in Oklahoma include 10 days to 6 months in jail, a fine of $50 to $500, revocation of a handgun license, and an administrative fine of $1,000.
In 2006, Jackson was charged with lewd molestation for allegedly sexually abusing a minor. The defendant pleaded no contest to an amended charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor (misdemeanor) and given a one-year suspended sentence with no formal supervision, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim in the case.
Image credit: Mad House Photography
