Larceny of Merchandise
The case against a Phillips and Bailey client for Larceny of Merchandise was dismissed yesterday in Oklahoma City Municipal Court. If you are looking for a top criminal defense lawyer in Oklahoma, get a free case evaluation from Phillips & Bailey now.
OKC Man Arrested Midwest City Pharmacy Break-in
Midwest City police arrested an Oklahoma City man in connection with a pharmacy break-in early Thanksgiving morning. Police responded to an alarm at a Midwest City pharmacy, where they saw a suspect leaving the business with a box. The suspect fled, and Justin Patterson, 23, was arrested after he crashed a stolen pickup in a brief high-speed chase. At the time of his arrest Patterson was found to be in possession of 3,000 Lortab pills. The truck he was driving at the time of the burglary and chase had been reported stolen from an area night club an hour prior to the pharmacy break-in.
Patterson was arrested on multiple criminal complaints as a result of the incident, including possession of a stolen motor vehicle, second degree burglary, possession of stolen property, larceny of a motor vehicle. He faces an additional Oklahoma possession for sale charge of possession of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute.
Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes reports that Lortab, a painkiller, has a street value of approximately $20 per pill. He says that police are investigating the possibility that Justin Patterson is connected to another Midwest City pharmacy burglary earlier this month. Lortab was also stolen in that break-in.
Woman Receives Probation for Oklahoma City Sex Bribe
An Oklahoma City woman was pleaded guilty last week to offering sexual favors to a police officer in return for not taking her to jail. As part of a plea agreement negotiated by her Oklahoma City defense lawyer, Regina Marie Dotson, 39, pleaded guilty to offering a bribe, larceny, and public intoxication, admitting to the court, "I offered a sexual bribe to an officer to not take me to jail." In return for her guilty plea, Dotson will receive 10 years' probation for the crimes.
Oklahoma City police sergeant Kevin Parton testified that he arrested Regina Dotson last year after she shoplifted $15.25 worth of merchandise from a local grocery store. As the officer drove her to jail, Dotson, who has a record of Oklahoma City drug offenses, began to offer him sexual favors if he would not take her to jail.
Parton says he started recording Parton's sexual bribes when she became increasingly explicit.
Bribery is a white collar crime in Oklahoma in which money or other compensation is promised or given in an attempt to sway one's opinions or decisions. Both offering and accepting bribes are considered crimes. Under Oklahoma law, "The term 'bribe' signifies any money, goods, right in action, property, thing of value or advantage, present or prospective, or any promise or undertaking, asked, given, or accepted, with a corrupt intent to influence unlawfully the person to whom it is given, in his action, vote or opinion, in any public or official capacity."
Any individual charged with offering or accepting a bribe in Oklahoma should consult an experienced Oklahoma white collar defense attorney as soon as possible to begin protecting his or her rights and to craft a strategy for successful defense.
Sword-Wielding Robber Makes off with 12-Pack at Oklahoma City Store
Generally, when one considers armed robbery in Oklahoma, one thinks of a gun as the weapon involved. While firearms are the most common weapon used in an armed robbery, any number of instruments can be considered weapons under Oklahoma Law. Knives, nunchuks, baseball bats, and even cars can be considered weapons in Oklahoma violent crime. Sometimes, the details of these violent crimes are so bizarre they leave police, prosecutors, and Oklahoma defense lawyers scratching their heads, wondering, "What were they thinking?"
One such bizarre tale came out of Oklahoma City last week. An armed robber stormed into an Oklahoma City 7-Eleven convenience store. One might think that the robber brandished a gun and demanded money from the register and safe. However, neither element in this case is true. Rather, the weapon involved was a "curved, Arabian-type sword," and the loot was nothing more than a twelve-pack of beer. Now, police are looking for the suspect who will face felony charges of armed robbery, all for a dozen beers valued at less than $20.
A few additional details make this story even more odd, and make the perpetrator eligible for a guest spot on America's Dumbest Criminals. In the incident, the robber walked into the convenience store, grabbed the beer, and attempted to leave without paying. When he was confronted by the store clerk, he pulled the sword. The clerk stood back to protect himself, and the thief left the store . . . hitting himself in the head with the sword on the way out. To make the robbery even more ridiculous, the suspect is a regular at the store.
For those keeping count at home, this brings the stupid elements of this robbery to:
- One Aladdin sword
- One twelve-pack of beer
- One self head-smack with said sword
- One robbery of a place where the perp is well known
One wonders how many 12-packs the sword-wielding robber had already consumed before attempting this stunt.
Stolen Property Case
Yesterday, we were successful in getting separate charges of Concealing Stolen Property and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle dismissed. If you've been charged with theft in Oklahoma, or are accused of any other criminal activity, contact Slane & Phillips for a free criminal case evaluation.
Charges Filed in Oklahoma Triple Homicide
An Oklahoma City man has been charged in the deaths of a mother and her two young children. Shaun Michael Bosse, 27, is accused of killing Katrina Griffin, her 8-year-old son, and her 6-year-old daughter at their home in Dibble on July 23, then setting fire to their home to destroy evidence. The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office reports that Katrina Griffin and her son Christian died of stab wounds, and that Griffin's daughter, Chasity Hammer, died of injuries sustained in the fire.
Because of these violent crimes in Oklahoma, Bosse has been charged in McClain County District Court with three counts of first degree murder and one count of first degree arson.
The night before the bodies were found, Griffin called police to her home; Bosse was present and told police that he had been dating the woman for about two weeks. While an affidavit from the incident does not list the reason for the call, an investigating officer who interviewed Bosse after the bodies were discovered the next day noticed injuries to the suspect's arm and fist that were consistent with a hole found punched in the wall of the victims' home. The woman's call to police, the physical damage to her home, and Bosse's injuries seem to suggest Oklahoma domestic violence.
Bosse is also accused of theft after police discovered that he sold the victim's televisions and entertainment items at Oklahoma City metro area pawn shops after the killings.
The defendant's next court date for the Oklahoma murder charges has not yet been scheduled.
Oklahoma Couple Charged with Fraud for Collecting Welfare on Missing Son
An Oklahoma couple has been charged with fraud after officials discovered that they were collecting welfare payments on their adopted son, who has been missing for more than 10 years.
Doug and Valerie Herrman were arrested and charged with theft. They are accused of accepting $52,800 in welfare payments to which they were not entitled. Their adopted son, Adam Herrman, vanished in 1999, but the Herrmans never reported him missing. Authorities did not even become aware of Adam's disappearance until 2008, when his adoptive sister notified authorities. Doug and Valerie Herrman maintain their son, 11 years old at the time, ran away after his mother hit him with a belt. They are considered "persons of interest" in his disappearance.
Meanwhile, the Herrman's continued to accept government assistance for Adam's care for more than ten years after he was last seen. The Herrmans falsely claimed Adam as a dependent on their tax returns, continued to collect adoption subsidies after his disappearance, and failed to notify authorities that the child was no longer living in their home. Additionally, neighbors say that the Herrmans collected money from the state after a report determined that Adam had special needs. At this time, the Herrmans do not face fraud charges in Oklahoma. Doug and Valerie Herrman are charged in a neighboring state and are not defended by Oklahoma criminal defense lawyers, but by lawyers in their home state.
The Herrmans' attorneys claim that their clients deny any wrongdoing. The criminal defense lawyers for Valerie Herrman say that both Herrmans intend to plead not guilty to the charges and to "vigorously seek the dismissal" of fraud charges.
In the meantime, police continue to investigate Adam Herrman's disappearance. Prosecutors hope to have homicide charges filed by the end of the year. Authorities searched the mobile home park where the Hermanns were living when Adam was last seen, but no body has been discovered.
Doug Herrman's criminal defense lawyer would not comment on the disappearance, saying he would focus only on the current charges.
Distribution of a CDS and Grand Larceny
The Oklahoma criminal defense lawyers of Slane and Phillips were successful in having 2 separate cases dismissed within the past couple of weeks. The first case involved a charge of Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) in Seminole county, Oklahoma. The other was a Grand Larceny case in Roger Mills county, OK.