Click It Or Ticket Campaign Begins This Week

This Thanksgiving holiday there will be a concentrated effort by state and local law enforcement offi- cers to watch for drivers and passengers not wearing their seat belts.  This will be carried out espe- cially along Interstate 40 during the heaviest traveled hours of the holiday.  It will begin November 26 to December 1.

Oklahoma State Police will join with other state such as Arkansas, Texas and Tennessee in assign- ing a trooper to every 20-mile stretch of I-40.

Nationally in 2011, seat belts saved almost 12,000 lives according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.  52% of 21,253 passengers killed in 2011 in vehicle crashes nationally were not wearing seat belts.

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Willie Nelson Concert Postponed

The announcement of a postponing of the Willie Nelson concert scheduled for Tuesday, November 26 was made by the Walton Arts Center Saturday.

The reason for the postponement is that the bus on which the Willie Nelson band was riding was in- volved in an accident on Interstate 30 outside Sulphur Springs, Texas.  The incident happened early Saturday morning when the tour bus driver was trying to drive in heavy rains and winds, causing the bus to spin out of control and hit a bridge pillar.

Three band members were hospitalized.  One has an ankle injury, another suffered a bruised hip and the third has a cracked rib.  According to Nelson's website, no one was seriously injured and all are expected to fully recover. There were five band members and the driver on the bus at the time of the accident.

Their four dates remaining in November are postponed.  The tour will be resumed in December as scheduled.  Ticket holders are to hold all tickets until further information is announced, officials said.

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Panama Teen Shot Over Weekend

At approximately 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon, a 16 year-old boy from Panama was shot on Pierce Rd on the way back from a camping trip.  According to Panama Police Sargent Andrew Bevil, the victim was with a 14 year-old friend.  The friend tripped, causing his gun to fire hitting the 16 year-old in the neck.

Bevil said the victim was flown immediately to St. Francis in Tulsa by medical helicopter where he was listed in critical condition Sunday morning.

No arrest has been made or charges filed.  Bevil said the incident is being investigated as an acci- dental shooting.  The District Attorney will decide if any charges will be filed after receiving the case.

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Sallisaw Tag Agent Charged With Exploitation

Owner of Sallisaw Tag Agency, Carol Wood, has been charged with one felony count of exploitation against Sallisaw resident, Gladys Walters.  Wood, 56, was arrested Wednesday after an ongoing investigation showed Wood had taken more than $80,000 from Walters, age 94, a resident of Seq- uoyah Manor Nursing Home.  Wood held power-of-attorney over Walters from 2007 until 2011, ac- cording to an affidavit filed by Detective Sandra Girdner of the Sallisaw Police Department.

District Attorney Brian Kuester filed the case earlier this month.  Wood is scheduled to appear in court on November 27 at 1:30 p.m. before Special Judge Larry Langley.  Wood is currently out on a $3,000 bond.

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Muldrow Father & Son Lose House To Fire

Early Wednesday morning about 3 a.m., a call was received regarding a house fire located on Hwy 64B just north of Muldrow.  When crews arrived, flames were shooting out of the home and an SUV parked in the driveway was on fire.  The residents, a father and son, were both home but got out safely along with the family dogs.

According to Assistant Fire Chief Shawn Fuller with the Maple Rural Fire Department, it is believed the fire started in the chimney, spreading to the attic.  It then went across the metal roof due to the wind.  Fuller said the house was a total loss.  He also said the location of the house made it very challenging for the crews to get to.  It sits on a hill approximately a quarter of a mile from the road with a narrow driveway that has a creek running across it.

Muldrow, Liberty and Maple fire departments along with Sequoyah County deputies were on the scene of the fire.

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Crack Down On Seat Belt Use

This Thanksgiving holiday there will be a concentrated effort by state and local law enforcement off- icers to watch for drivers and passengers not wearing seat belts.  According to an Arkansas State Police news release, this will be carried out especially along Interstate 40 during the heaviest traveled hours of the holiday.  It also stated the Arkansas State Police is teaming up with other states such as Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee in assigning a trooper every 20-mile stretch of I-40 during those hours.

In 2011, three people died and two hundred forty-nine seriously injured in vehicle accidents in Arkan- sas during the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the news release.

Nationally in 2011, seat belts saved almost 12,000 lives according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.  Fifty-two percent of 21,253 passengers killed in 2011 in vehicle crashes nationally were not wearing seat belts.

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Moffett Business Owner Arrested

Jason Tuck, owner of the Outer Zone in Moffett, was arrested Friday by Ft. Smith police.  Deputies stopped the pickup truck in which Tuck, 39, was riding due to the driver, Jessie R. Wilson 58, was allegedly breaking several traffic laws.  Drug-sniffing dogs were called to the scene after deputies spoke with the occupants of the vehicle.

A 45 caliber handgun was turned over by Tuck before the search began.  He was found to have three ounces of methamphetamine in his front pocket later during a search.  He also had a pain pill and fifty packages of suspected synthetic marijuana, authorities said.

Investigator Phillip Pevehouse with the Sebastian County Sheriff's office said this arrest was the lar- gest they have done so far in Sebastian County or the Ft. Smith area of K2 or synthetic marijuana.

Tuck was taken to the Sebastian County Detention Center on suspicion of possession of metham- phetamine and synthetic marijuana, as well as simultaneous charges of possession of a firearm & drugs and refusal to submit to arrest.  According to the sheriff's office, Wilson was arrested and he faces charges of driving while under the influence of drugs.

Tuck's business, advertised as selling smoking equipment and novelties, was raided last year during a drug raid.

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Spiro School Bus Rear-Ended

Oklahoma Highway Patrol said last week a truck side-swiped a vehicle in the city limits of Spiro.  The truck them proceeded onto Hwy 271 near Hamilton Circle where it rear-ended a Spiro Public Schools bus.  According to school officials, at the time of the accident there were twelve students on the bus including ten elementary students.

The driver of the vehicle told the OHP that he doesn't know how or why the accident occurred due to he blacked out.

No one was injured and there is no word as of yet if the driver will be cited.  An investigation is being conducted by the OHP.

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Daniel Fears Not Allowed To Change Facilities

In a special court hearing Thursday, District Judge Jeff Payton ruled that Daniel Fears will not be allowed to change treatment facilities from a secured facility in Vinita to an unsecured facility in the Grand Lakes area.

Fears is serving two consecutive life sentences after a jury found him guilty on multiple charges in connection to Sequoyah County shootings in 2002.  On  October 26 of that year Fears went on a fifteen minute, cross country shooting spree in Sallisaw.  He wounded eight people and killed two other people.  Fears was eighteen years old at the time.

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Sallisaw Chief Of Police To Retire

The Sallisaw City Commissioners held a special meeting late last week to consider the resignation of Sallisaw Chief of Police, Shaloa Edwards.  The meeting convened at 9 a.m. the morning of the meet- ing, at which time the Commissioners elected to enter executive session to speak on the matter.  Al- most an hour later, they reconvened in public session. 

The Commissioners voted unanimously to accept Chief Edwards' resignation.  They also approved paying Edwards a gross amount of $19,978 for accrued vacation time and what would have been his salary from November 30 of this year until April 14, 2014. Edwards' last day in office will be November 30, 2013.

He was first elected to office in 2005.  His seat is up for re-election in Oklahoma's annual municipal elections in February 2014.  At this time, there has been no word on who the interim Chief of Police will be.  Sallisaw Mayor Shannon Vann said the commission has until Edwards' last day to decide.

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Couple Identified In Stand-Off

The Roland couple that were arrested after a stand-off with police have been identified as Jason Pearson, 49 and Andrea Brittingham, 46.

According to Roland Police Chief David Goode, Wednesday at approximately 8:20 p.m. a call went in to police regarding a domestic dispute with possible shots fired at a residence on Countryside Lane.  Seven Roland officers and a Sequoyah County deputy responded.  When they arrived they found the highly intoxicated Pearson with a gun.  At around 8:45 p.m. the stand-off was over and the couple were arrested without incident.

Officers seized approximately ten guns.  There were no injuries reported.

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