The Canadian County Sheriff's Office, acting on a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, arrested a Yukon man earlier this month for possession of child pornography.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Instagram reported to the NCMEC that a user was uploading images of child pornography to his social media account. The NCMEC contacted the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), who in turn sent the case to the Canadian County Sheriff's Office, one of the agencies involved in the state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Investigators got a search warrant for the IP address of the suspect, Timothy Erick Awbrey, 45, and discovered that the man lived in Yukon, Oklahoma. They obtained a search warrant for his home. Upon executing the warrant, deputies reportedly conducted a forensic examination of Awbrey's iPhone X and determined that it was the device used to upload child pornography. Deputies say the phone contained sexually explicit images of children as young as three years old.
When investigators questioned the man, he reportedly admitted to looking at child pornography over the course of the last several years. They say he admitted to being caught viewing child porn by his wife. He allegedly told investigators that he had multiple underground accounts based out of Russia that he used to view, possess, and trade child pornography.
Awbrey was charged last week with possession of child pornography in violation of 21 O.S. 1021.2. This statute states in part, "Any person who shall procure or cause the participation of any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years in any child pornography or who knowingly possesses, procures, or manufactures, or causes to be sold or distributed any child pornography shall be guilty, upon conviction, of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than twenty (20) years or by the imposition of a fine of not more than Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) or by both said fine and imprisonment."
Possession of child pornography is a Level 1 sex offense. An offender assigned to Level 1 must register as a sex offender for 15 years with annual address verification.
An Oklahoma County jury rejected a defendant's claim that she stabbed a man 17 times "in self defense."
Jurors recommended a sentence of life in prison for Sumeika D. Byrd, 31, of Oklahoma City, in the stabbing death of Brendan Turner, 28, on August 13, 2015.
Byrd, an admitted prostitute, said that she and the victim had sex at a south Oklahoma City house before arguing about money and drugs. Byrd told police that Turner pushed her into a dresser, and she grabbed a pocket knife from the floor and began swinging the knife back and forth to protect herself.
She told investigators that she didn't know if the knife made contact as she swung. As she attempted to flee the house, she says, Turner chased her. She turned to stab at him as she ran out the door because she "was scared," but he chased her to the driveway. She says he then went back into the house, and she slashed his tires. She told police that she believed Turner was still alive when she left the house.
Prosecutors, however, say the scene police discovered did not match the story Byrd told, and that the only evidence of self-defense came from Byrd's own testimony.
Police say that they found Turner lying inside the house "with his insides on the outside." He had fatal stab wounds to his heart and abdomen, and they say there is absolutely no way he would have been able to chase Byrd outside the home in that condition. Prosecutors dispute Byrd's claim that she thought he was still alive when she left, saying, "You can't leave a body in that state and not know what you've done."
Prosecutors further stated that while the victim had several defensive wounds to his arms and back, there were no injuries to his hands indicating that he attacked Byrd. They noted that Byrd had no defensive injuries, and they argued that the evidence clearly pointed toward Byrd as the attacker.
Of the defendant's claim of self defense, prosecutors said, "That man was stabbed 17 times. ... It takes some effort. If that is not deliberate intent to take a life ... then I don't know what is."
Jurors agreed, convicting the woman of first degree murder. She is sentenced to life in prison.
After a witness told police that a Marlow man had threatened to "blow things up," police arrested the man at a Bricktown hotel.
Early this week, officers were called to the Homewood Suites in Bricktown after a woman reported that Richard Paul Holt, 63, threatened to blow something up, and she assumed him to mean the hotel. In Holt's room, investigators reportedly found "primers, assorted ammo, projectiles," and a copy of The Anarchist's Cookbook, a how-to manual for making explosives and manufacturing illicit drugs.
In addition to the materials found in the room rented by Holt, police also reportedly found drug-related items and Pyrodex pellets, for use in muzzle-loaded rifles.
Monday's arrest marks the third arrest for Holt in less than a month. On March 7, police arrested him at the Hampton Inn at 300 E. Sheridan. That arrest came after hotel employees called police to report a disturbance, and officers ultimately arrested hold on a complaint of meth possession.
Roughly a week later, on March 15, police arrested him at the Homewood Suites at 328 E. Sheridan, the same hotel as Monday's arrest. In that incident, Holt reportedly called 9-1-1 37 times within one hour. He reportedly tried to kick a responding police officer. He was subsequently arrested on complaints of making false 9-1-1 calls and assault and battery on a police officer.
Eleven days later, on March 26, Holt was arrested at the hotel on complaints of making a bomb threat and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. As of this writing, he remains in custody at the Oklahoma County Jail, held on $20,000 bond.
Court records show he has been charged with one count of making a bomb threat.
After a stranger sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl at a southwest Oklahoma City convenience store earlier this month, police released surveillance video of the assailant hoping to identify the man. Police released a photo of the man on Facebook with instructions to call Crime Stoppers with any information. Within an hour, police received numerous tips leading them to arrest a suspect.
Investigators have identified the suspect as David Bocock, 28, of Oklahoma City. Police arrested him at his southwest Oklahoma City home, and he is facing charges of lewd acts with a minor under 16 and sexual battery.
The case began on March 1, when the girl went to a convenience store located near SW 89th and Penn. She later told police that the man was watching her so intently that she became nervous and uncomfortable. She reported that the man followed her inside as she went to get a drink, and he continued to stare at her as he called her sexually explicit names.
The girl reported that the man grabbed her from behind before a store clerk intervened, asking the man if she could help him with anything. Reports say the man told the clerk he needed a lighter. The employee handed him a lighter, and he left the store with it.
Although reports say he faces a charge of sexual battery, such an act applies to non-consensual physical sexual contact with a person aged 16 or older. If the girl involved in this case is aged 14 as reported, the man is more likely to be charged with lewd acts with a child under 16. Lewd Acts is a felony sex crime punishable by 3 to 20 years in prison in most cases; however, if the child involved is under the age of 12, the crime is punishable by a minimum of 25 years. Conviction of lewd acts also mandates lifetime sex offender registration.
This is not the first time Bocock has faced prosecution for a sex crime. In 2001, Bocock, then 22, exposed himself to a female student in the parking lot of Westmoore High School. He received a deferred sentence for indecent exposure, only completing sex offender treatment after prosecutors filed a motion to accelerate sentencing. Just four years later, he created three MySpace profiles, calling himself a "male nympho" with "sex on the mind waking up and going to sleep" who wanted to meet "sluts and whores."
This history will likely stack the deck against the defendant in prosecution. Strong criminal defense will be necessary.
Image credit: Oklahoma City Crime Stoppers
A youth soccer coach accused of attempting to solicit sexual activity from a 14-year-old girl has been convicted of three of the counts against him.
A Tulsa County jury found Blake Ryan Lewis, 31, guilty of three counts of solicitation of a minor; however, they found him not guilty of two counts of lewd or indecent proposals to a minor under 16.
The case began in August 2015 when Lewis began messaging a 14-year-old girl. Lewis, who met the girl and her mother through a mutual friend, reportedly asked the girl to download Snapchat. When the girl's mother found out that an adult male was messaging her young daughter, she reported her concerns to Jenks police.
Police began an investigation by having a detective assume the girl's identity on social media and continue the conversation with Lewis. The communication between Lewis and the detective he assumed to be a young teen continued from September 2015 until Lewis's arrest on November 4, 2015.
During that time, police say, Lewis offered the girl a "birthday kiss." According to Lewis, however, that statement was meant innocently, although he says it may have been in poor judgment. Lewis accuses police of using that statement to begin entrapment.
As he testified in his own defense, Lewis told jurors that statement “paved the way for someone with a professional agenda to move the conversation” in a way to get him prosecuted. District Judge Kelly Greenough allowed jurors to consider entrapment in one of the counts of lewd proposals to a minor charged against Lewis.
However, Lewis did admit to inappropriate comments toward the girl and admitted to sending a picture of himself in boxer shorts. His defense argued that he never asked for nude pictures of the girl, but he did request pictures of herself in her underwear and pictures of her stomach.
Prosecutors also pointed out comments Lewis made to the girl that indicated his intent was not innocent. They say he told her he wanted to "treat her like an adult," and that he would keep his hands above her clothes unless she asked him not to.
Assistant District Attorney Kate Hunter decried Lewis's attempts to downplay his improper interactions with the girl, calling them "complete hedging and mitigation of what he actually did and his lack of willingness to hold himself accountable."
The case led jurors to a mixed verdict, finding him guilty of three counts and not guilty of two counts. Lewis faced up to 70 years in prison if convicted of all counts; however, Judge Greenough upheld the jury's recommendation by sentencing him to 120 days in jail followed by sex offender registration. Soliciting Sexual Conduct or Communication with a Minor by use of Technology is a Level 2 sex offense, and therefore anyone convicted of this crime in Oklahoma must register as a sex offender for 25 years.
Bethany police are investigating an apparent sexual assault and child pornography video being distributed at Putnam City West High School.
Reports say that some students voluntarily showed a Snapchat video, which appeared to depict the sexual assault of a teenage girl, to a teacher at Putnam City West High School. The teacher, in turn, reported the video to the school's principal. Although the principal did not recognize the girl in the video, he did recognize the presence of several PC West students at the scene.
The principal contacted Bethany police, who determined that the apparent assault of the girl took place at a house party in Bethany. Investigators say a 17-year-old girl was "incoherent while being sexually assaulted" by two males, later identified as a 17-year-old boy and a 21-year-old man.
Investigators say at least nine people--all students under the age of 18--recorded the alleged assault or participated in it.
Because these individuals decided to record and distribute the video, Bethany police are investigating their actions as manufacture and distribution of child pornography. They could face felony charges in addition to the charges faced by those who actively engaged in the sexual assault of the incoherent girl. As Bethany Police Lt. Angelo Orefice told reporters, "As far as the sexual assault, that's just one aspect. The second aspect is going to be the manufacturing and distributing of child pornography, since other people at the party decided to film it and share it."
In 2016, people around the nation were outraged when a 17-year-old boy was found not guilty of forcible sodomy after making an intoxicated and incoherent girl perform oral sex on him. Because the law did not stipulate that a person who was heavily intoxicated could not consent to oral sex, the act was not considered "forcible." However, that case prompted Oklahoma legislators to change the law to close the loophole that became known as the "orifice defense." Sexual intercourse with a person who is unconscious was already against the law under the state's rape laws. However, oral sex with an unconscious person was not illegal until the Justice for JW Act of 2016 was passed a month later.
Pending the investigation, no charges have been filed; however, depending on the acts depicted in the video, the perpetrators could face charges of first degree rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, and/or forcible sodomy. Those who recorded the video and distributed it could face charges of production and/or distribution of child pornography.
Image credit: Pro Juventute
Last summer, a pipe bomb detonated outside of an Air Force recruiting center in Bixby, Oklahoma. Fortunately, no one was injured in the blast.
The next day, law enforcement officials arrested Benjamin Roden, a two-year Air Force veteran who served as a senior airman and trained as a firefighter in the service. Roden sought training to become an electrician but resigned when he was unable to complete the training.
The former airman was described as "disgruntled," and his Facebook posts seemed to show increasing agitation, paranoia, and frustration with the local police, the federal government, and the Armed Forces.
When agents arrested Roden, they say they found multiple items associated with producing explosives as well as a book and notes on how to build explosive devices. They claim to have also found a bag containing more pipe bombs, a loaded handgun, an AR-15, and an application for a German visa in his apartment. Officials say they found more materials for manufacturing explosives at the home of Roden's mother, whom he frequently visited.
A federal grand jury indicted the Bixby bombing suspect on seven counts, including malicious damage to federal property by use of an explosive and possession of unregistered destructive devices. However, the defendant's attorneys argued that their client was mentally incompetent and unable to assist in his own defense.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Roden underwent mental competency evaluation by two different doctors. Based on their findings, a federal judge in August ruled that the defendant was incompetent to stand trial. At that time, the judge allowed 90 days--or more if necessary--for Roden to undergo treatment to restore competency.
Now, that time has passed. Roden's new competency hearing was scheduled for January 2. As of this writing it is not yet announced whether or not the defendant's competency has been restored. If so, he will face trial for the bombing of the Bixby Air Force recruiting center. If he is still considered mentally incompetent, the judge will determine whether to allow more time for treatment or whether to remand him to the custody of a mental health facility.
Image credit: ktul.com
Around 2:30 a.m. on November 27, Oklahoma City police officers responding to a welfare check following a disturbance at the Oxford Inn found the body of Brooklyn BreYanna Stevenson, 31. The transgender woman had been shot multiple times.
Sometime later, police received a tip from a witness that would lead them to their suspect in the killing. The witness reported that Brandon Michael Tyson, 31, of Norman, shot and killed Stevenson after the two "got in a fight."
At the time of the murder, police said they did not know the motive for the killing, and they did not know whether Stevenson's identity as a transgender person played any role in the motive for murder. However, GLAAD, a national LGBTQ advocacy group, notes that Stevenson's death marked the 25th known murder of a transgender person in 2017, further noting that victims of fatal trans violence are predominantly people of color.
The organization also noted that 2016 was the deadliest year for transgender homicide, with 27 deaths. On December 13, a 26-year-old transgender woman in Houston was murdered, bringing this year's total to 26 and putting 2017 on track to meet or exceed 2016's record number. Seals was also a transgendered woman of color.
According to GLAAD intern and trans activiest Arielle Gordon, "year after year [trans women of color] face the highest rates of violence because they face three intersecting forms of oppression: racism, sexism and transphobia.”
An Oklahoma County judge issued an arrest warrant for Stevenson, and police arrested him and booked him into the Oklahoma County Jail on a complaint of first degree murder. He is held without bond.
The Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office has filed a second degree murder charge against an Oklahoma City police officer after finding that his shooting of a suicidal man was not justified.
The incident occurred on November 15, as Dustin Pigeon, a 29-year-old man, called 9-1-1 threatening to kill himself. Two Oklahoma City police officers, Officer Erik Howell and Officer Troy Nitzky, responded to the scene. Both officers were wearing body cameras, and Officer Nitzky had armed himself with a beanbag shotgun.
The officers determined that Pigeon had doused himself in lighter fluid and was attempting to set himself on fire. The two police officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, asking Pigeon to put down the lighter.
Meanwhile, a third officer, Sgt. Keith Patrick Sweeney, 32, arrived on the scene. As Officers Howell and Nitzky attempted to negotiate with the suicidal man, Sgt. Sweeney reportedly began barking orders at Pigeon, aiming his service weapon at the man and shouting, "Drop it!" The body camera video captures Sweeney shouting, "I will f------ shoot you! Get on the ground!"
After this command, Pigeon reportedly lowered his hands, at which point Officer Nitzky fired a beanbag at him, striking him in the hip.
Just after the impact of the beanbag, Sweeney fired his 9mm handgun five times, killing Dustin Pigeon. After firing, Sweeney cursed and said to Nitzky, "I didn't know you had a beanbag."
Sweeney said he fired upon Pigeon because he believed the man had a knife, and he felt his life was in danger. However, an investigation determined that Pigeon was not armed and was not a threat to officers when Sweeney shot him.
After the investigation concluded that the shooting of Dustin Pigeon was not justified, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater filed a second degree murder charge, or an alternative charge of first degree manslaughter, against Sgt. Sweeney. In charging documents, prosecutors allege that "[t]he act of shooting Dustin Pigeon was unreasonable, unjustified and perpetrated in an imminently dangerous manner, evincing a depraved mind and demonstrating a disregard for human life."
It is the first time District Attorney David Prater has charged an Oklahoma City police officer in an on-duty killing. In announcing the charge, Prater acknowledged the appropriate actions of the other two responding officers:
“I wanted to let the public know that even though we did charge an officer in this incident, we had two officers — Officer Howell and Officer Nitzky — who did everything textbook in trying to bring this to a peaceful end by using less-than-lethal force.”
The Fraternal Order of Police is expected to hire a defense attorney on Sgt. Sweeney's behalf. According to an FOP statement regarding the charges, "Police officers are routinely placed in dangerous situations where they must quickly make life-or-death decisions. We caution citizens against jumping to conclusions until the facts are fully presented."
Second degree murder is punishable by 10 years to life in prison. First degree manslaughter is punishable by a minimum of four years.
An Oklahoma teacher has been arrested after he was accused of contacting a 14-year-old former student and asking her to send him nude pictures of herself. Vincent Chad Warford, 45, of Glenpool, is charged with one count of sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology.
Warford is a former teacher at Freedom Public Schools and is currently on administrative leave from Liberty Public Schools. While teaching at Liberty in September, Warford allegedly contacted a student at Freedom, whom he formerly coached. Warford is accused of using Facebook Messenger to ask the girl for "pretty pictures," saying, "I need naked."
The girl told another teacher, who reportedly told the girl to take a screenshot of the message and show her mother. The girl's mother then contacted the Woods County Sheriff's Department.
A Woods County Sheriff's deputy then took over the girl's Facebook account and continued communication with the man. According to deputies, Warford complimented the girl during the conversation with the deputy, calling her "a pretty girl" and telling her she was a "great kid."
The deputy reported that Warford asked for sexually explicit photographs several more times before backpedaling and telling the girl that the requests for nude pictures were intended for another woman.
Woods County authorities forwarded his arrest warrant to Tulsa County deputies, who arrested Warford at his Glenpool home on October 30.
Warford has been in trouble with the law before for his inappropriate behavior with students. While working at Miami Public Schools, Warford rolled a fake joint filled with oregano in front of students in the classroom. Initially, he was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of outraging public decency and was fined $500.
The consequences of soliciting sexual conduct or communication with a minor by use of technology will be much more severe. If the defendant is ultimately convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, and sex offender registration for 25 years.