An Oklahoma City home security installer has been accused of secretly hiding cameras in the homes of customers and using those cameras to fuel his video voyeurism.
Ryan Aaron Alden, 39, of The Village, was a workman with a home security company. He reportedly admitted to making up excuses to contact two homeowners after installing their security systems, saying he needed to do extra work at the homes. An affidavit says Alden said the trusting homeowners made it easy for him to hide the cameras in their homes, and that is why he "preyed" on them. An officer stated in the affidavit, "Alden advised that the residents would normally just tell him to come over and would provide him with the garage code."
Alden is accused of returning to two metro homes--one in Nichols Hills and one in Oklahoma City--and placing the covert cameras. The cameras were then hooked up to WiFi that Alden allegedly controlled to spy on young girls in the homes.
After a homeowner discovered the cameras, Alden's employer began a search of the homes in which he had worked for the company. During this search, they found hidden cameras in another home as well. Police serving a warrant at Alden's home seized multiple cellphones, computer towers and laptops from his house. Investigators say that one device contained more than 2,000 images of child pornography, and they claim to have also found video taken from the hidden webcams.
Alden reportedly confessed to hiding the cameras, an idea he claims to have gotten from watching pornography. He allegedly also took numerous clandestine photos of girls in public places including "gyms, schools, stores, mall changing rooms and a high school football game." Investigators say he told them that any time he was in public, he was looking for a way to take clandestine photos and get his "fix."
Alden has been charged with more than 20 felonies, including manufacturing child pornography, aggravated possession of child pornography, and using video equipment in a clandestine manner. Additionally, the mother of one of the victims has filed a lawsuit against him. He is held in the Oklahoma County Jail on $251,000 bond.
Photo by Rob Sarmiento on Unsplash
A former Oklahoma County jail sergeant who was fired in February 2016 for an inappropriate interaction with Moore police in February 2016 has been sentenced to one year in prison in an unrelated case.
That same year, Antonio Sharp, 34, came under investigation after three female co-workers at the Oklahoma County Jail alleged that the sergeant had made inappropriate comments to them and sexually assaulted them inside his office at the jail.
The three women, a detention deputy and two detention officers, said that Sharp held them against their will, preventing them from leaving his office, as he made inappropriate and nonconsensual sexual contact with them. The first incident occurred mid-2013, when one woman says that on several occasions, he "made inappropriate contact of sexual nature to her" and grabbed her breast. Another of his accusers says that in November 2015, Sharp grabbed her hair and made sexual comments to her on two separate occasions. Finally, in December 2015, only a couple of months before he was fired for his interaction with Moore police outside a bar, Sharp reportedly cornered the third woman inside his office, making inappropriate advances toward her, attempting to remove her coat and pulling up her shirt against her will.
Originally, Sharp was charged with three counts of sexual battery, which seem appropriate to the allegations in the case. However, a sexual battery conviction would land the former Sheriff's department sergeant with mandatory sex offender registration. As part of a plea agreement, Sharp pleaded guilty instead to one count of kidnapping and two counts of assault with intent to commit kidnapping in the case.
While we typically think of the stereotypical "kidnapping" case as someone being violently abducted and taken off to an undisclosed location, in truth, kidnapping refers to detaining anyone against his or her will and not letting them leave. In the cases above, Sharp admitted in his plea paperwork that he confined one woman against her will and that he attempted to hold the other two women against their will.
While sexual battery is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, it also carries mandatory sex offender registration. Kidnapping, on the other hand, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, yet it is not accompanied by sex offender registration. Assault with intent to commit kidnapping carries up to 5 years in prison.
Despite the severity of the allegations against him, Sharp was sentenced in accordance with his plea agreement to one year in prison followed by four years of probation.
You may not know Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage by his real name, but chances are, if you live in Oklahoma, you've heard of Joe Exotic. The founder and former owner of a private petting zoo in Oklahoma has been in and out of the news for years, but this time, his antics have landed him behind bars without bond as he awaits trial in an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
Maldonado-Passage, more widely known as Joe Exotic, is accused of threatening to kill the operator of a Florida animal sanctuary and of attempting to hire someone to kill her. Carol Baskin, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, has criticized Maldonado-Passage for allowing tiger cubs to be petted for profit, and in 2013, her organization won judgments against Joe Exotic for copyright and trademark infringements. Since then, she has been unable to collect the judgments, which has resulted in further litigation against Maldonado-Passage, his family member, and Jeff Lowe, the current owner of the Wynnewood exotic animal park.
A grand jury alleges that Joe Exotic has made multiple social media posts threatening Baskin's life, going so far as to shoot her in effigy in one video. He also posted that he was going to Florida to commit suicide, later amending in the comments that it would be a murder suicide. His attorney claims that the posts were publicity stunts, saying that his client is "a showman."
A judge disagreed that the videos were simply "skits," and said that there was no indication that Maldonado-Passage would not pose a threat to anyone's safety should he be released pending trial.
He further noted concerns about the defendant's mental state, noting that Maldonado-Passage said he was "going to live with Travis" if he did not get bond, referring to his former husband, Travis Maldonado, who died a year ago after accidentally shooting himself in the head.
Additionally, prosecutors pointed out that Maldonado-Passage is accused of paying someone $3,000 to kill Baskin and said that he would pay more after the job was finished. He reportedly met in December with an undercover FBI agent posing as a hit man, and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent testified he discovered the murder-for-hire plot while investigating illegal wildlife sales.
A federal judge has denied bond for Joe Exotic. The trial is set for November, but it is expected that the trial will be delayed.
A former Oklahoma senator is set to be sentenced in federal court Monday for his conviction on child sex trafficking charges.
Ralph Shortey, 36, was indicted after police, at the request of the father of a 17-year-old boy, raided a Moore Super 8 motel in March 2017. They found Shortey with the boy who admitted that the two had been "naked and fooling around" before police arrived. He also said that the two had been smoking marijuana, which he went to the bathroom to hide when police knocked on the door.
Although the age of consent in Oklahoma is 16 under most circumstances, investigators uncovered text messages in which the then-senator offered to pay the boy for "sexual stuff." Under federal law, commercial sex--including prostitution, pornography, and exotic dancing--is illegal for a minor under the age of 18, and any adult involved my be convicted of child sex trafficking.
Shortey reportedly attempted to downplay the acts of which he was accused, saying he was "selectively prosecuted 'for spectacle'." Federal prosecutors, however, painted a much different picture.
Prosecutors argued that the teen faced significant trauma after the relationship with Shortey, saying he had nightmares, fear of adults, anxiety, and depression. They say Shortey was a predatory pedophile who exploited not only the teen involved in this case, but potentially thousands of other children through the downloading and possession of child pornography.
They point to numerous Craigslist accounts Shortey set up under fake names attempting to find young men to engage in sexual activity. In one, he wrote, "would love to have a boy to play with and take care of a little on the side. ... Looking for younger the better (legal) white or mixed. ... Please send pics. If you're interested in my wife joining in the future, that might be a possibility also."
Shortey's wife divorced him this year.
Investigators reportedly uncovered evidence from the internet service provider AOL showing that, on that one service alone, the former senator downloaded, possessed, or distributed more than 1,050 images of child pornography. They say that, because Shortey lost or destroyed his personal laptop and smartphone and never returned his state-issued laptop, they will never know the extent of his involvement in child pornography.
As part of a plea deal, the three child pornography indictments against Shortey have been dismissed.
U.S. District Judge Timothy D. DeGiusti can consider the child pornography in choosing the ex-senator's sentence on the child sex trafficking conviction. Shortey faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
A 48-year-old Edmond man has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to numerous charges stemming from a fatal wrong-way accident that killed a little boy.
On April 15, 2015, Kelly Waldon Corn was under the influence of methamphetamine and pain killers when he left a struck an employee's vehicle in a P.F. Chang's parking lot before fleeing the wrong way on the Kilpatrick Turnpike. Multiple witnesses called to report the wrong way driver, but before police could respond, Corn's vehicle struck a Lexus carrying a mother and her two young sons. The woman and a 9-year-old boy suffered serious injuries; the 6-year-old child was killed.
Police found meth and pills in Corn's vehicle, and toxicology reports found him to be under the influence of both at the time of the wreck.
In March of this year, Corn pleaded guilty to four felony charges and one misdemeanor charge: second-degree murder, meth possession, two counts of causing an accident with great bodily injury while driving under the influence, and leaving the scene of an accident involving an unattended vehicle.
At sentencing, the deceased child's parents and older brother, now 12, spoke of the devastation the accident and the loss of their loved one brought. Corn, whose own 2-year-old son died in an accidental drowning last year, acknowledged the hurt he causes, saying, "I am remorseful and I understand your anger. I do accept responsibility. No words can explain how I feel. ... I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. . . . There is nothing more precious than a baby boy."
Oklahoma County District Judge Cindy Truong appeared unmoved by Corn's apology, sentencing him to life in prison. Upon announcing his sentence, Truong told Corn, "You deserve every day of that life sentence for what you put [this family] through."
In Oklahoma, a life sentence is calculated at 35 years for the purpose of parole. Second degree murder is an "85 Percent Crime," which means a person must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole. Because of these two stipulations, Corn will not be eligible for parole until he is in his 80s.
A fatal DUI accident, whether alcohol-related or drug-related, may be charged as either first degree manslaughter or second degree murder. In general, the decision to charge as manslaughter or murder is based on whether the perpetrator was committing a misdemeanor or a felony at the time of the accident. In general, DUI is a misdemeanor, and therefore a fatal DUI accident would be charged as first degree manslaughter. However, repeat DUI offenses are felonies, as is drug possession. Either of these two things will elevate the charge to second degree murder.
Under Oklahoma law, first degree manslaughter is punishable by a minimum of four years in prison; second degree murder is punishable by ten years to life.
After receiving an Oklahoma City CrimeStoppers tip about an alleged school shooting plot, Pawnee County authorities arrested two Pawnee County High School sophomores on suspicion of plotting a mass shooting and suicide. Reports say the tip came from someone outside of the United States who became concerned about things the two juvenile suspects were discussing while playing online video games.
CrimeStoppers forwarded the tip to Pawnee Police Chief Wesley Clymer, who deemed the tip credible and contacted the FBI. Sources say that the investigation revealed a "thought-out plan" for how to carry out the school shooting, and that investigators found multiple firearms in the boys' possession when searching their homes.
Investigators arrested the teens just two weeks before school was to start in Pawnee County, and the Sheriff's Department says that the tip coming in early helped facilitate the investigation. Pawnee Schools superintendent Ned Williams said of the timing of the investigation, "This would have been much more confusing and dangerous had it come to light or occurred when school was in session. I am thankful this was able to be stopped as early as it was, almost immediately after it came in as a tip."
Coincidentally, as the tip came in, local law enforcement was conducting active shooter drills at a nearby school. The school shooting drill quickly turned into a real-life threat investigation. In fact, because local journalists were participating in the drill and reporting on it, The Cleveland American, a local newspaper, chose to run a disclaimer at the beginning of its story about the arrest of the teens, emphasizing that the story was real and not a part of the active shooter simulation:
NOTE: This is real. We felt it needed a note saying so since there was a mock school shooting drill in the county this morning, which our reporter participated in while on assignment. This is NOT part of that dramatization. This investigation is real, current and ongoing in Pawnee.
Pawnee school officials notified parents about the threat even though school was not yet in session. Law enforcement says the investigation is "all but over," and that there is no longer a threat to the school and its students. The teen suspects are under arrest and held in an undisclosed location.
An Oklahoma City youth pastor has been arrested on a rape complaint after being accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl from his youth group.
According to reports, Wilfredo Alexander Flores, 24, was arrested after the mother of a 14-year-old girl came home from work on her lunch break and found Flores hiding under a blanket in her daughter's closet.
Initially, the girl told police that the youth pastor entered her home without permission when she left the door unlocked; however, she soon recanted and told police that she let Flores in to bring her some Chinese food and a flash drive she needed to work on a church project.
During the investigation, police determined that Flores had sex with the girl in 2017, when he was 23 and she was 13 years old. Since that time, the man has texted the girl up to 20 times per day, and the girl's mother had forbidden the man from coming to her home. The girl told police that she has tried several times to tell Flores to stop contacting her. She further said that, about three months ago, Flores made sexual advances toward her during a church outing, but she physically stopped him.
Because the alleged physical encounter occurred when the girl was only 13 years of age, Flores has been jailed on rape complaints. He is currently held in the Oklahoma County Jail on two complaints of first degree rape, one for a child under 16 and one for a child under 14. Bond is set at $50,000 for each count.
As of this writing, the man has not been charged in Oklahoma County District Court. The charges he faces will depend upon whether or not evidence shows the girl was a willing participant in the alleged sexual encounters. Under Oklahoma law, there are two classifications of rape: first degree rape and second degree rape. First degree rape is sexual intercourse or penetration accomplished without the consent of the victim. First degree rape includes the following acts:
Second degree rape, therefore, is sexual intercourse that typically involves a willing sexual encounter with someone who cannot provide legal consent. This can include a child under the age of 16, a student under the age of 20, a person in local or state custody, and a person in foster care or DHS custody.
It seems likely that, when charged, Flores will face one count of first degree rape for the allegation of having sex with a 13-year-old girl, and one count of second degree rape for the allegation of sex with a 14-year-old girl.
First degree rape is punishable by five years to life in prison; second degree rape is punishable by one to 15 years in prison.
When most people hear the term "statutory rape," the common name for second degree rape in Oklahoma, they typically assume it involves a sexual relationship between an adult aged 18 or older and a minor who is just a little too young to provide legal consent. However, under Oklahoma law, minors are not the only ones that are legally unable to consent to sexual activity, and for this reason, under certain circumstances, a person can be charged with rape for sexual involvement with a willing adult partner.
The Oklahoma statutes in 21 O.S. § 1111 define rape as an act of sexual intercourse or penetration occurring under one or more of 10 circumstances (11 when considering spousal rape, which, by law, is only accomplished through use or threat of force or violence).
Six of these circumstances are further classified as first degree rape in § 1114, and these are actions which are most commonly associated with the term "rape": child rape (perpetrated against a minor under the age of 14), rape of a mentally disabled or mentally ill person unable to provide legal consent, rape of a person who has been drugged as a means of forcing the person to submit, rape of an unconscious person, or forcible rape.
All other acts of rape are classified as second degree rape, which is commonly called statutory rape. These acts involve sexual intercourse or penetration of someone who may be of age to provide legal consent, but are unable to do so due to certain circumstances.
Frequently, we think of age as being the primary determiner of statutory rape. The age of consent in Oklahoma is 16; while a person aged 14 or 15 may verbally consent to sexual intercourse with a person over the age of 18, that apparent consent is not lawful.
The other determiner of second degree rape is custodial or supervisory status. We understand this applies to student/teacher relationships, but many people do not realize the law prohibits a sexual relationship between a student up to 19 years of age and any employee aged 18 or older in the same school district.
It also applies to those in DHS custody and DHS employees and inmates and corrections employees. The employee does not have to be a supervisor of that inmate--all employees and contractors (prison nurses for example) are prohibited from sexual contact with inmates.
It is under this law that a prison chaplain has been charged with rape by instrumentation for his involvement with an inmate at the Kate Barnard Community Corrections Center in Oklahoma City. An inmate at the facility said she and the chaplain, Don Lee Dickerson, 57, of Yukon, had intimate and inappropriate contact several times in his office between January and July of this year. Dickerson reportedly admitted to the allegations and was arrested on a complaint of rape by instrumentation. The chaplain resigned his position amid the investigation. He is out of jail on $25,000 bond.
If convicted, he faces one to 15 years in prison and sex offender registration upon release.
The former president of the Mustang Touchdown Club, the Mustang Public Schools football booster club, has been charged with embezzling nearly $10,000 from the organization.
Reports indicate that a random audit of the organization in March 2018 turned up "accounting irregularities." According to a press release by the Canadian County Sheriff's Office, the audit, conducted by an independent CPA firm, revealed 21 withdrawals in excess of $9,000. Of those withdrawals, more than $6,000 had no supporting receipts.
When school officials became aware of this discrepancy and lack of documentation, they contacted the Canadian County Sheriff's Office. The agency conducted a forensic audit of the booster club account and determined that Raymond Craig Davis, 48, of Oklahoma City, the club's president, had been unlawfully using the club's funds for personal use.
According to the investigation, Davis opened a second booster club account during an interim between two executive boards. He reportedly never told the new board about the second account.
Investigators say Davis ran more than $269,000 through both accounts during an 18-month period, and he embezzled more than $10,000 by running it through the original account. Investigators say the majority of the purchases were food and convenience store purchases ranging from $1.50 to $15.00.
When questioned by investigators, Davis denied the existence of a second account on at least three occasions. However, when he was confronted with evidence of the second account, he claimed to have used the account to buy meals for donors. Investigators say he was unable to name a single donor whose meals he bought through the account.
Deputies say Davis eventually admitted that he closed the second account when he realized that he was under investigation, pocketing the account's last 62 cents as a justified gas expense.
Davis was arrested in early May, and earlier this month, he was charged with a single count of embezzlement. Under 21 O.S. § 1451, embezzlement of $2,500 to less than $15,000 is a felony punishable by a maximum of 5 years in prison, a fine of $5,000, and restitution to the victim.
Effective November 1, 2018, the state's embezzlement laws will change as a part of criminal justice reform legislation passed earlier this year. The new law changes the threshold for penalties as follows:
1. If the value of the property embezzled is less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), any person convicted shall be punished by a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment in the county jail for a term not more than one (1) year, or by both such fine and imprisonment;
2. If the value of the property embezzled is One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or more but less than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00), any person convicted shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not more than five (5) years, and a fine of not exceeding Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), and ordered to pay restitution to the victim as provided in Section 99lf of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or
3. If the value of the property embezzled is Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) or more, any person convicted shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not more than ten (10) years, and a fine not exceeding Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), and ordered to pay restitution to the victim as provided in Section 991 f of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
The penalties will be imposed under the new law for crimes occurring on or after November 1, 2018.
A Broken Arrow elementary school teacher who resigned amid allegations of inappropriate contact with his students has been charged in connection with the accusations.
Edward Lee Hodge, 55, was a teacher at Aspen Creek Elementary school last year, when four students from his class began reporting to administrators that Hodge touched them inappropriately and made them feel uncomfortable. When the allegations came to light in mid-May, Hodge was removed from the classroom. He reportedly admitted that he "messed up," and said that he had himself been molested as a child by older teenagers and had received therapy for the events in the past.
According to the four girls, aged 10 to 12, Hodge would pressure them into hugging him, even when they didn't want to. The girls claimed that Hodge would touch them on their upper thighs and the inside of their thighs. One girl reported that when Hodge hugged her, his "hand would stay still on her butt."
The girls say that on several occasions, they attempted to tell the school counselor about their experiences in Hodge's classroom. However, when they declined to tell their teacher why they wanted to see the counselor, they say, he refused to let them the classroom.
One of the accusers told authorities that she did not want her teacher to lose his job; she just wanted him to stop making her uncomfortable.
According to an affidavit, one teacher reported witnessing a child sitting in Hodge's lap during a Christmas party.
As a result of the investigation by Broken Arrow Police, the Tulsa County District Attorney filed charges this week against Hodge. He is charged with four counts of lewd molestation. Hodge was arrested and has subsequently been released on $50,000 bond for each count.
The former teacher is charged under 21 O.S. 1123 (A), Lewd or Indecent Acts or Proposals to a Child Under 16. Under this law, it is a felony to, among other things, "In any manner lewdly or lasciviously look upon, touch, maul, or feel the body or private parts of any child under sixteen (16) years of age in any indecent manner or in any manner relating to sexual matters or sexual interest."
Lewd acts with a minor is punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison unless the child is under the age of 12 at the time of the offense. If the child is under the age of 12, the offense is punishable by a minimum of 25 years in prison. Conviction of lewd acts mandates lifetime sex offender registration.