Sallisaw Proclaims April as Alcohol Awareness Month

On Wednesday the City of Sallisaw proclaimed the month of April as Alcohol Awareness Month. Presenting the proclamation to Amy Edwards. of the Sallisaw NOW Coalition. along with the City of Sallisaw is Mayor Ernie Martens.

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Motorcyclist Flees from Police in Muldrow Area

A Muldrow motorcyclist who tried to evade a traffic stop was arrested March 19 and charged with several counts, including a felony, court records show.

Caleb Jayden Plank, 28, was charged with endangering others while attempting to elude a police officer, a felony that carries a penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. He also faces two misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled dangerous substance, as well as misdemeanor charges of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended license.

On March 19, a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy was patrolling U.S. Highway 64 near Dyer Boulevard when he spotted a white motorcycle headed westbound on 64. The deputy was unable to see whether the bike had a license plate, so he turned around to take a closer look. When he caught up with the motorcycle, the deputy saw that it had a license plate but he couldn’t read the state or the plate’s number.

The deputy then pulled in behind the motorcycle as it was turning onto Sequoyah Street in Muldrow from Highway 64. The motorcycle sped up and began passing vehicles in a no-passing zone, prompting the deputy to activate his emergency lights and siren. The motorcycle continued traveling westbound on Sequoyah at about 80-90 mph and failed to stop at the sign at Highway 64B and Sequoyah.

With his vehicle reaching up to 113 mph, the deputy pursued the motorcycle, with the suspect still pulling away. The bike continued traveling westbound until it came back out onto Highway 64, turned back east onto the highway and continued until it reached Redland Road, then turned north onto Redland.

Headed north on Redland until he hit Black Jack Road (East 1092 Road), Plank then turned back east, still driving at a high rate of speed.

The deputy lost sight of the motorcycle near Black Jack Cemetery, but he was alerted by dispatch that callers had said the bike had stopped in the vicinity of 1086 Road.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper came on to assist in the search and the officers discovered the motorcycle behind a residence on S. 4720 Road. Dispatch then received a call stating that the suspect had fled into the woods and was hiding in a nearby creek. The trooper went to search for the suspect while the deputy searched the motorcycle for evidence.

During his search of the motorcycle, the deputy discovered a large Ziploc bag with a green, leafy substance in it, a black box with a small Ziploc bag holding a white, crystal-like substance and a green glass pipe with a burned residue on it.

The trooper found and arrested Plank, who had four outstanding arrest warrants.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Maple Fire District Earns New Insurance Rating

Residents living within five miles of the Maple Fire Department may see reduced homeowners’ insurance rates as soon as July 1, officials recently announced.

Marty Green, chairman of the Maple Rural Fire District’s board, said the district is proud to announce that its Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating has dropped from 6 to 4.

The ISO number is based on a scale of 1 to 10 and rates 45,000 fire departments across the United States, Green said.

Green said the fire district was rated as a 9-10 back in 1995, but with the help and diligence of the “all-together” efforts of the community, firefighters, board of directors, neighboring fire departments, county officials, the Cherokee Nation, the Sequoyah County Water Association and many others, the department was able to succeed in its mission.

“We are very pleased to have earned this rating,” Green said.

The lower rating is expected to reduce insurance costs for residential and commercial buildings.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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Muldrow Man Charged with Drug Trafficking

A Muldrow man was arrested March 17 and charged with trafficking in illegal drugs, according to court records.

Homer Jay Teague, 58, was also charged with the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, a misdemeanor.

On March 16, a Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputy was on patrol when he was dispatched to County Roads 4750 and 1054 in reference to a four-wheeler riding on the roadway and disturbing the neighbors.

When the deputy arrived, he saw the four-wheeler traveling northbound on 4750 Road and could hear its loud exhaust. He conducted a traffic stop and made contact with Teague, the driver.

Teague informed the deputy that he was riding around with his daughter and was about to head home.

While the deputy was examining the four-wheeler’s Vehicle Identification Number, he saw Teague walk to the shoulder of the road and toss a baggie containing a white substance toward the woods. When asked what he threw, Teague denied throwing anything, but upon investigation, the deputy recognized the baggie’s contents as methamphetamine.

Teague was placed in handcuffs and a search of his pockets turned up an additional bag containing a white, crystalline substance. He was then arrested.

Back at the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, the drugs, which weighed 26.1 grams, field-tested positive for methamphetamine.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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OSU Extension Offers Monthly Co-Parenting Class

Parents with minor children who are going through a separation or divorce and those who may be seeking custody, visitation or paternity of a child are invited to take a Co-Parenting for Resilience class at the OSU Extension office in Sequoyah County.

April Olsen, FCS/4-H/CED with the Extension office, teaches the once-monthly class, which tackles subjects required by state law and the Sooner State’s court system. Combining lecture, discussion, video, hands-on activities and examples, the classes provide parents with effective methods to foster their children’s healthy adjustment to their parents’ changing situation.

Classes, which cost $35, are held at the Sequoyah County commissioners’ office at the courthouse.

For more information, call (918) 775-4838 or visit the OSU Extension office at the courthouse.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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72-year-old Man Visits Sallisaw on Walking Trek Across U.S.

Walking across the United States would be a daunting task for anyone, but 72-year-old Roger Gates has a cross to bear on his journey.

Gates, who started walking March 15, 2020, is carrying an 11-foot-long, nearly 80-pound wooden cross. Gates says he is on a quest to raise money to build three warehouses, one of which will be headquartered in Muskogee. The warehouses will store emergency supplies strictly for use in major disasters. Gates says he also hopes to build one warehouse each on the East Coast and West Coast.

This isn’t Gates’ first cross-country walk. In his 40s, he embarked on a similar trek, though he didn’t do it to raise funds. Instead, he said, that “obedient walk” was the Lord’s way “of teaching me, forming me and shaping me for my ministry of helping people.”

When asked how he sees himself, Gates said, “Some people call me a pastor. I call myself a servant of the Lord. I’m more like a modern-day disciple. I go to the true church and that’s everywhere.”

Gates says he doesn’t understand why churches of different variations fight against one another. The “true church,” he said, “looks toward the Lord.”

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Gates wasn’t always a religious man. He says drinking led to the breakup of a marriage.  His later involvement in drugs ultimately led to a 6-year prison term.

It was while he was in prison that Gates turned his life back toward God. He said he was lying in his cell when he hit bottom. “I felt a ton of weight on me. I knew if I took one more step I was a dead man. I had walked so far away (from the Lord). I was at a crossroad, but I still couldn’t think of God or Jesus. Boy, I was hurting.”

Gates said it was then that he heard a voice telling him that who he needed was God. "I’ve been following Him ever since.”

You can keep up with Gates’ journey on his Facebook page, Ministry of Truth.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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OSHSA Spring Yard Sale Set for April 16-17

The Old Sallisaw High School Association has scheduled its spring yard sale for Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days.

The sale will be inside the OSHSA Black Diamond Event Center, 220 W. Creek in Sallisaw.

To sell your own items, booth rent is $10 per space, which may be paid at the park. There is limited table space inside, but there is unlimited space outside (bring your own table).

The group is still needing donations of small household items, furniture and more. To donate, visit the Old Sallisaw High School Association’s Facebook or call (918) 774-2439, (918)774-3887 or (918) 208-9286 to meet for drop-off at the event center.

Laura Brown, KXMX Staff Writer

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