Latest news with #OklahomaCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Authorities searching for missing man, teenage step-son
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (KFOR) – The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office (OCSO) is searching for a missing man and his teenage step-son. According to OCSO, 40-year-old Timothy Ross and14-year-old Wesley Rouse were last seenat about midnight on Tuesday 5.13.2025 in the Northeast 23rd & Air Depot Road area in Midwest City. 'Move Over': OHP campaign begins May 14 Authorities say, both were in a 2009 green Hyundai Santa Fe, license plate # QSH-696. Ross was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black tee shirt, says police. If you've seen them, contact the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office at (405) 869-2501. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
17-04-2025
- Miami Herald
Woman kidnapped and robbed of $250K at coffee shop, OK cops say. Now, 6 arrested
A woman with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash on her made a stop at a coffee shop, Oklahoma deputies said. But a vehicle followed behind her on June 14 and two armed men kidnapped her at the Edmond cafe, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office. They tied her up, beat her, stole the cash she had and used her phone to send money to one of the suspects, deputies said. The woman was robbed of $250,000. Phone pings led authorities to the woman in Oklahoma City, but the accused kidnappers were largely unknown for months, deputies said. Now, six people have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and robbery, the sheriff's office announced on April 15. The suspects were arrested in Texas, Sheriff Tommie Johnson said during a news conference shared by KWTV. They were identified as: Dallas Jacquet, 39 Brandon Ford, 43 Demerce Dennis, 29 Harron Jennings, 28 Kadarryus Caples, 24 Gordon Scott, 33 Johnson said the kidnapping and robbery were not random, and officials believe the suspects did not know the woman was carrying a large sum of cash when they followed her. The woman said she planned to use the cash to make upgrades to her salon, deputies said. The six suspects were in Oklahoma to illegally purchase marijuana to sell in the Houston area as part of an illegal business, Johnson said. As they were loading the weed into their vehicle, they saw the woman drive by and decided to follow her, police said. Cameras on the woman's Tesla, in addition to other Flock cameras, led to the identification of one suspect, deputies said. A nearly year-long investigation identified five others. The six arrested are facing several charges, including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit kidnapping for extortion, conjoint robbery, kidnapping for extortion and use of a firearm for commission of a felony, Johnson said. Edmond is about a 15-mile drive north from Oklahoma City.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III wanted his own lobbyist. Here's why he got one
Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III says he needs a lobbyist, so the Board of County Commissioners got him one: Edwards Capitol Partners, in Tulsa. Steve Edwards, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party from 1999 to 2001 and former chief of staff for the late former U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, is president of Edwards Capitol Partners. The commissioners didn't hire Edwards, but approved a professional services contract, which they could do without taking bids from other potential lobbying firms. And, they're paying for it — $4,000 per month through May — from a county account of service fees, not the general fund, which comes from property taxes, because that would be illegal. Those issues among others were hashed out at a recent Board of County Commissioners meeting before the board voted 2-0 to approve the contract. District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan abstained because he said he and Edwards are close friends. But why does the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office need its own lobbyist? The Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association, which describes itself as "the united voice and support network for the sheriffs of Oklahoma," already represents all the state's 77 sheriffs at the state Legislature. That includes "legislative advocacy to enhance law enforcement effectiveness across our 77 counties," the group says online. Cody Compton, general counsel for the sheriff's office, asked for the contract on Johnson's behalf "so we can have some representation to help the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office as it relates to some legislative needs that are kind of unique specific to some of the larger counties." District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson, chairman of the board, wondered if Johnson's office benefited from lobbying already contracted by the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office or the state association. "They may have different ideas of what they want," Compton said, and the state group represents "77 different sheriffs (and) 75 of them have very different needs than the unique needs of Oklahoma County and Tulsa County." Edwards could not be reached for comment. The sheriff said urban Oklahoma County's expansion gives his office a need for a steady advocate before lawmakers. 'Oklahoma County is growing and it's important that legislators are properly educated on issues that directly impact law enforcement in our community," Johnson said. "We aren't able to go to the Capitol every day during session, so we have hired a firm to lobby on our behalf." The state sheriffs' association does a good job lobbying, he said, "but the needs of the residents of Oklahoma County are different than the needs of our neighbors in more rural counties." For example, the firm will lobby in favor of Senate Bill 523, which would expand Johnson's ability to bring in deputies from other counties to help with security during the 2028 Summer Olympics. Oklahoma City will play host to softball and canoe slalom events. In addition, the sheriff said, Edwards will push for Senate Bill 974, which would allow for online auctions for sheriff's sales. "This week, we had to cancel our sheriff's sale because of the weather," he said. "Opening those auctions to an online audience not only would ensure those sales go on regardless of the weather, it would also increase participation, leading to higher bids. "For people facing foreclosure, that is an important financial lifeline. It's important to note, the monthly fee for the service would be paid for through service fees, not taxpayer dollars.' Johnson tried online auctions in 2023, but stopped after their legality was questioned. The contract spells out Edwards' work: "Consultant agrees to perform, in a competent manner, consulting services in his areas of expertise for Client. Such services will include, but are not limited to, lobbying and government affairs to advance the objectives of Client. Consulting services will be provided in Oklahoma at the state, county and local levels. Consultant agrees to not represent other entities which would create conflicts with Client during the term of this Agreement. Consultant will concentrate on legislation at the Oklahoma state legislatureinvolving issues directly affecting client." Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@ This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III gets his own lobbying firm
