Cop shop chronicles: “Don’t freak out, I’m robbing you,” and other gems
Visits to the “cop shop,” ie, the Oklahoma City Police Department, are a part of my weekly duties. There, reporters from the OKC media gather in a small third-floor room and peruse the freshest list of arrests from Oklahoma County jail as well as police reports. It’s the place police news items like this, this and this tend to surface. We mutter and curse when “the stack,” our nickname for the pile of reports, looks impossibly large. We perk up when a big crime item surfaces, and chat and joke and cast glances over a competitors’ shoulders if it is sensed one is acting particularly stealthy.
I’d like to blog a little more, so I thought I’d start a regular chronicle of cop shop happenings to share some quirky or noteworthy items that come up at cop shop but don’t quite make the news. (more…)
U.S. State Department releases 2012 human trafficking report
NPR reports that the U.S. State Department released a report Tuesday that estimates 27 million people are trafficked each year.
The report ranks countries and looks at how victims can be protected. it also provides insight into the United States’ problem with human trafficking.
Even though the report noted that the U.S. ranked as one of the most active countries in combating human trafficking, officials still need to improve techniques to monitor trafficking trends, according to U.S. News.
Read the full report here.
Watch the announcement of the report on the U.S. State Department’s website.
Photo by Cliff Owen: Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton presents Vannak Anan Prum, of Cambodia, a plaque for his work to end human trafficking, during the release of the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, June 19, 2012.
Oklahoma City police ask public to help identify robber
Police are looking for a man who stole a handgun and $1,000 from the Public Auto Auction in Oklahoma City earlier this year.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300.
New pretrial date set for former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper charged with rape
A new pretrial court date has been set for a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper charged with second-degree rape.
Patrick Venable, 28, is accused of raping a Guthrie woman while on duty June 20. He was ordered to stand trial after Special Judge R.L. Hert Jr. ruled April 4 that there was enough evidence presented at the preliminary hearing for Venable to face trial in district court.
His attorney, Carl Hughes, wrote in an email that Venable plans to proceed with a trial. He said he is still waiting on discovery materials from prosecutors before the case can move forward.
Another pretrial date has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Aug. 17, Hughes said.
Photo by Paul Southerland: Former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Patrick Venable talking with his attorney outside a courtroom during his preliminary hearing at the Payne County Courthouse in Stillwater Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.
Oklahoma County authorities target underage drinking, alcohol sales
Oklahoma authorities are teaming up to target underage alcohol sales and drinking for the remainder of June.
The Oklahoma County Metro Alcohol Task Force will perform compliance checks at bars and convenience stores to make sure employees aren’t selling alcohol to minors. (more…)
Becky Bryan: Wife of slain Nichols Hills fire chief to be arraigned Tuesday
Rebecca Bryan, 53, of Mustang, is scheduled to be arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Tuesday in district court.
She is accused of fatally shooting her husband, Keith Bryan, the Nichols Hills fire chief, in September 2011 at their Mustang home. Bryan is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and will enter a plea.
(more…)
Oklahoma City police look for man accused of taking photo underneath woman’s dress
Police are looking for a man who used his cell phone to take a picture underneath a woman’s dress in west Oklahoma City.
Master Sgt. Gary Knight said the man was at the Outlet Mall April 19 in the 7600 block of West Reno Avenue when the incident occurred.
The man reached down as if to look for something then slid his phone underneath the dress of a woman and took a picture. A witness at the store saw what was happening and confronted the man, police said.
The man then ran from the store and fled in an older model maroon Pontiac Grand Am.
Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (405) 235-7300. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Oklahoma City police: Domestic dispute suspect still at large
Police are still looking for a man wanted in connection with a domestic dispute in southwest Oklahoma City Monday.
Matthew Zachariah Dean, 29, is wanted on warrants of kidnapping, domestic assault causing great bodily injury and possession of a firearm, police said.
Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said officers were called about 12:40 p.m. Monday to the 1500 block of SW 79 Terrace. She said a caller said a man was on top of a woman, and they were fighting.
Officers arrived and found a woman lying in the yard, covered in blood, according to the police report. Read the rest of the report below. (more…)
Pretrial set for former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper charged with rape
A pretrial date has been set for a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper accused of raping a Guthrie woman while on duty June 20.
Patrick Venable, 28, was ordered to stand trial after Special judge R.L. Hert Jr. ruled April 4 that there was enough evidence presented at the preliminary hearing for Venable to face trial in district court on a count of second-degree rape.
Court records show that Venable’s pretrial is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 15 in Logan County. At his arraignment last week, Venable pleaded not guilty to the charge.
For more on the judge’s order for Venable to stand trial, click here.
Read about the preliminary hearing and testimony here.
Photo by Paul Southerland: Former Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Patrick Venable leaving a courtroom during his preliminary hearing at the Payne County Courthouse in Stillwater Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.
Court notebook: Search warrant filed in triple Oklahoma City homicide
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Police filed a search warrant Monday for items inside a southwest Oklahoma City home where three people were found dead earlier this month.
Officers responded to shots fired at the home at 3221 S Durland Avenue shortly after midnight April 14. Witnesses told police they saw several people run from the home after the shots were fired and left in different vehicles.
