Accused child molester found dead in Oklahoma

1-19-17 Oklahoma:

Jenks, Okla. — We have updated information regarding a man accused of molesting an 11-year-old in Jenks, back in 2009.

The U.S. Marshals Service says Russell Wilson bonded out of jail back in 2011 and then disappeared.

"One of our deputies here in the office went to work trying to find this guy and could not find a single trace for years and years," U.S. Marshals Service said.

Fast forward to 2015, when a hiker found a skull that appeared to have a gunshot wound. The skull was located at Arrowhead State Park, near Lake Eufaula.

Sapulpa Coach Charged With Rape Dead Of Apparent Suicide

3-6-15 Oklahoma:

A Sapulpa coach was found dead the day he was charged with second-degree rape in Creek County. Creek County District Attorney Max Cook confirms Brad Alan Evans was charged in connection to a relationship with a 17-year-old student.

Cook said the early indications are that Evans, 38, committed suicide, but the death will be investigated. The charges against Evans were rescinded Friday after word of his death, Cook said.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, the coach's wife discovered the girl in their mobile home March 3, 2015. The student told police Evans was her softball coach at Sapulpa High School and that she had sex with him that night and on another occasion in February.

The girl also told police she drank five mixed drinks at his home, court records state.

Officers say her class ring was found on a night stand in the bedroom when they executed a search warrant.

The Sapulpa School superintendent said Evans was a paraprofessional who had been with the district for about 18 months.

Homeless sex offender linked to bizarre Oklahoma death

8-19-2014 Oklahoma:

A homeless sex offender who spent much of the last decade behind bars has been linked to a bizarre McClain County death that had stumped investigators for months.

Michael B. Hair committed suicide just two weeks after authorities believe he took the life of 24-year-old Rachelle Lyn Flowers at her home near Cole in April. He is now linked to the young mother’s death by DNA, according to multiple sources.

Hair was 46 when he killed himself near a Goldsby mobile home park. He was a registered sex offender and burglar who served nearly a decade behind bars for assault, attempted rape and indecent exposure, court records show. His past convictions include burglary, grand larceny and obtaining merchandise under false pretenses.

Clinton Flowers, the victim’s husband, said Tuesday evening that he is upset that somebody like Hair was free and walking around.

“Why is this guy even free out here ...and what is wrong with us as a society?” he said.

“I mean, the guy’s been arrested 11 times. What happened to three strikes?”

McClain County Sheriff Don Hewett said Hair left his DNA “all over the crime scene” when he tried to burn down the farmhouse where the victim lived with her husband.

Man suspected of child abuse, pornography kills himself after standoff

5-3-2014 Oklahoma:

It happened in south Broken Arrow Friday night into Saturday morning

Broken Arrow, Okla. — A man suspected of child pornography and sexual abuse killed himself after a standoff with police in Broken Arrow early Saturday morning.

Maj. Mark Irwin with Broken Arrow police tells KRMG the incident started around 10 p.m., in a neighborhood near West Jasper St. and South Aspen Ave., (!45h E. Ave. and 131st St.).

Detectives served a search warrant for child abuse, child sex abuse, and child pornography on John Murray Jr.'s home after a family member approached them with evidence.

Irwin said detectives served the warrant after hours because of the fear that Murray might destroy evidence.

"The situation developed rapidly," he said.

Oklahoma City police identify two suicide victims

10-15-2013 Oklahoma:

A Moore man and an Oklahoma City man shot and killed themselves in separate incidents Monday as police tried to take them into custody.

Oklahoma City police have identified two men who shot and killed themselves in separate incidents Monday.

Both men died before Oklahoma City police tactical team members could take them into custody.

... ... ...

Saul Hernandez Biera, 29, of Oklahoma City

The second incident was reported about 11:50 a.m. A woman told police that her two daughters, a teenager and a preteen, had been raped, according to the incident report.

Officers went to the suspect's last known address at the 500 block of SW 28 and heard a gunshot while they were walking up to the front door, police Capt. Dexter Nelson said.

The suspect was identified as Biera. ..Source.. by LeighAnne Manwarren

Molesting Suspect Commits Suicide

12-25-1996 Oklahoma:

GUTHRIE - A Guthrie man fatally shot himself late Monday while police watched, helpless to stop him.

Richard Mahnke, 59, killed himself while officers were attempting to get near enough to question him about the molestation of two small girls, Assistant Police Chief Harry Downs said.

Downs said Mahnke was called "uncle" by the girls, sisters age 6 and 8, but he does not think Mahnke was a blood relative of the children.

Police were called Monday evening to a home in the 1500 block of W Cleveland to investigate a possible child molestation.

Officers took two girls to the Logan Hospital and Medical Center's emergency room.

A doctor who examined the children said they had been molested by instrumentation, Downs said.

Shortly before midnight, officers returned to the home. When they asked to speak to Mahnke, other adults in the home found he had left.

Downs said police found Mahnke in the back yard, crouched by the corner of the house.

"When officers shined their lights on him, he already had a small caliber (.22) rifle under his chin and he pulled the trigger," Downs said.

Officers called for an ambulance and Mahnke died at the hospital a short time later.

Richard Smothermon, Logan County first assistant district attorney, said Mahnke became the third person connected with a juvenile rape investigation to commit suicide in Logan County in the past two months.

On Oct. 24, Golden Timothy Kelly Jr., 37, committed suicide by hanging himself in the Logan County Jail. He was charged with the second-degree rape of a 14-year-old girl.

On Dec. 9, William Lee Hodges Jr., 21, also committed suicide by hanging himself in the Logan County Jail.

He had been charged with two counts of first-degree rape involving his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter. ..Source.. by Ellie Sutter

Clay County suspect believed dead in Oklahoma

8-12-2012 Oklahoma:

A man believed to be Marlin Jay Anderson, the former city manager of Bellevue accused of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl, was found dead in the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma on Friday.

The man died of an apparent gunshot wound. The death is being investigated as a suicide. The Comanche County, Okla., Sheriff's Office has not released the identity of the man pending pathology results. A vehicle registered to Anderson was found at the scene. According to a source, Anderson's family was notified of the death Friday.

Anderson, 54, was arrested Aug. 3 after a month long investigation into allegations he had molested a young girl on Nov. 14, 2011. He was charged with aggravated sexual assault. Anderson was released Thursday on a $75,000 bond posted by his attorney.

Investigators also believe Anderson sexually assaulted a woman, now 35, from the time she was a young girl until she was 16 years old — a crime for which the statute of limitations has expired, said Clay County Sheriff Kenny Lemons.

The woman is the mother of the girl.

The Clay County Sheriff's Office opened the investigation on a tip from the owner of a business that provides polygraph services in Dallas.

According to a probable cause affidavit provided by the Sheriff's Office, the business owner said Anderson asked to take a polygraph in reference to a sexual assault.

The man stated that during the interview process of the polygraph, Anderson admitted to having a sexual relationship with the woman over a period of 10 years.

A CCSO investigator called the woman in for an interview. During the interview, the woman said that her daughter had made comments that led her to believe Anderson also had assaulted the girl.

A forensics investigator from the Wichita Falls child advocacy center Patsy's House interviewed the girl.

The probable cause affidavit stated that when asked by the forensics interviewer, the girl indicated that she had been assaulted.

The woman provided investigators with an email sent to her from Anderson in January. The email read, "I do not believe that I am a pedophile and the legal description for pedophile does not fit me. I am a child molester and I don't need a definition to know that."

The email continued, "The second horrible act was possibly worse than the first; I have let you carry the burden of that horrible act for nearly your entire life. Not only did I not claim responsibility for what I did and I also tried to put some of the blame on you." ..Source.. by Matt Kelton

Tom White, Voice of the Martyrs Head, Reportedly Killed Self Amid Molestation Probe

4-23-2012 Oklahoma:

After it was revealed last Wednesday that The Voice of the Martyrs' Walter Thomas "Tom" White had been found dead at the Christian ministry's Oklahoma headquarters, it was reported days later that the executive director had possibly committed suicide amid an investigation into allegations that he had molested a young girl.

The Voice of the Martyrs, headed by White as an executive director for more than 20 years, issued a statement last Wednesday, April 18 announcing the married father of two's untimely passing. Two days later, the nonprofit, interdenominational organization acknowledged that White, 64, was being investigated by Oklahoma authorities for allegedly having "inappropriate contact with a young girl."

"Rather than face those allegations, and all of the resulting fallout for his family and this ministry and himself, Tom appears to have chosen to take his own life," the Christian ministry said in an April 20 statement.

It added, "None of those in leadership at VOM, including our Board of Directors, were aware of these allegations at the time of Tom's death. There is no doubt that Tom cared about his wife, his children and his grandchildren. And there's no doubt that he cared about VOM."

A report from The Associated Press revealed this Monday that White had gone missing April 17, the same day the Bartlesville Police Department was alerted to the allegations involving a 10-year-old girl, according to Capt. Jay Hastings.

Thomas R. Holland, Bartlesville's police chief, is listed on the ministry's website as a member of its Board of Directors. Holland confirmed with The Christian Post Tuesday that he is indeed a member of The Voice of the Martyr's board and that he knew White. In an email response to CP's inquiries, Chief Holland deferred other questions regarding the case to Hastings.

The AP also revealed that the police had requested from the Washington County District Court an order to have White's cell phone carrier provide "real time GPS pinging" of his phone in hopes of discovering his whereabouts. Authorities had noted in the document that White "had been reported to have molested a 10-year-old juvenile female" and disappeared as the investigation got underway.

Employees at the ministry gave police a letter discovered in White's vehicle that indicated the executive might have been "suicidal or possibly fleeing to avoid investigation," Hastings said.

"You can take it either way," Hastings added. "It was kind of a goodbye letter. You don't know if he was talking about himself."

The Voice of the Martyrs stated last Friday, "We are deeply saddened by these events. Our hearts are broken."

It added:

"However, the work that God has called VOM to do is bigger than any one of us. There are persecuted Christians who need our help. The legal process will go forward, and we will continue serving with our persecuted brothers and sisters.

"We appreciate the many who are praying for our work, and we encourage you to join us in praying for Tom's family during this difficult time, as well as the family of the alleged victim.

"However, the work that God has called VOM to do is bigger than any one of us. There are persecuted Christians who need our help. The legal process will go forward, and we will continue serving with our persecuted brothers and sisters.

"We appreciate the many who are praying for our work, and we encourage you to join us in praying for Tom's family during this difficult time, as well as the family of the alleged victim."

Bartlesville investigators were awaiting the results of an autopsy report to determine White's cause of death. It was not immediately known how White may have come in contact with the unidentified girl, nor if she was somehow involved with The Voice of the Martyrs' work.

White worked with the persecution ministry for more than 30 years, and during his time as its executive director, The Voice of the Martyrs "saw incredible growth in its outreach to the worldwide persecuted church," the organization notes.

The ministry, founded in 1967, said on its website that its president, James E. Dau, would issue a statement sometime this week.

A message left with The Voice of the Martyrs Tuesday morning was not returned by time of press. The Christian Post was told that Capt. Jay Hastings, in charge of the Bartlesville Police Department's Investigations Division, would be away from his office Tuesday until later in the afternoon. ..Source.. by Nicola Menzie , Christian Post Reporter

READ: IN MEMORY OF TOM WHITE AND CHUCK COLSON

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Police close case on Bartlesville ministry leader

5-9-2012:

TULSA, Okla. (WTW) — Police have closed a sex-abuse investigation after the head of an international Christian ministry named as a suspect apparently killed himself, authorities said Monday.

Tom White, 64, was being investigated, but had not been charged, in the abuse of a 10-year-old girl.

White was found dead last month at the Bartlesville headquarters of The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit that provides medical supplies, food and clothing to those in need. He had been the agency's executive director for more than 20 years.

Employees discovered a letter in White's vehicle indicating he was "suicidal or possibly fleeing to avoid investigation" Bartlesville police said.

Bartlesville Police Capt. Jay Hastings said the department is closing its abuse investigation because the suspect is dead.

"The case is basically not going anywhere," said Hastings, who also noted that the department's next step is to ensure the girl receives proper treatment or counseling.

"The child still has to deal with what's happened," he said. "Our main goal at this point is to make sure the family and victim get the proper services, basically."

Bartlesville police are awaiting autopsy results from the state Medical Examiner's Office, whose spokeswoman said Monday that the report was still pending.

Hastings would not say Monday if the victim was somehow involved in the ministry or how White may have come in contact with her.

A statement posted online from James E. Dau, the ministry's president, said no one in leadership at the organization was aware of the allegations at the time of White's death.

"Like everyone on our team, and probably like you, my first question was 'why'" Dau wrote. "The day before (White was found dead) allegations were made to authorities that Tom had inappropriate contact with a young girl.

"I personally believe that rather than face those allegations and the resulting fallout for his family and this ministry, Tom chose to end his life," he wrote.

Ministry spokesman Todd Nettleton said he could not comment beyond Dau's statement. ..Source.. by USA Today

Mangum man found dead in Jackson County jail

3-24-2012 Oklahoma:

Investigators said Trent Davis hanged himself with a sock Thursday in a Jackson County jail cell. Davis, 19, of Mangum, was awaiting trial on a rape charge filed in 2011.

Trent Davis, 19, was found about 5:45 p.m. hanging from a commissary-issued sock that had been looped through a ventilation vent, Sheriff Roger Levick said.

Davis was alone in his cell, Levick said.

It is not clear exactly when Davis died because he was found hanging above the combined toilet and water fountain fixture — an area that is not covered by the cell's surveillance video, Levick said. Investigators will review additional video footage to make that determination, he said.

Levick said there was no indication Davis was depressed or suicidal.

Davis was charged in June with rape after a 13-year-old girl told police he assaulted and then forcibly raped her in his mother's pickup outside a party in Blair.

At the time, Davis was serving a five-year deferred sentence after pleading guilty in Greer County District Court in 2010 to a felony manslaughter charge for his role in the death of a 13-year-old Mangum girl.

Levick said the body was sent to the medical examiner's office for evaluation.

The state jail inspector's office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation will investigate the death, he said. ..Source.. by Zeke Campfield

Tulsa man commits suicide while being questioned by federal agents

1-19-2012 Oklahoma:

A man who was being questioned by federal agents committed suicide during the interview Thursday morning, officials said.

Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Division and Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies were speaking to the man at his home in the 3400 block of South Oswego Avenue.

About 8:50 a.m., the man grabbed a gun he kept in the home and shot himself, according to a statement from Carl Rusnok, spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham said the man died just before 10 a.m. Thursday.

He was being questioned by special agents as part of an ongoing investigation into child pornography, Rusnok said.

Willingham said Tulsa police are leading the investigation into the shooting. ..Source.. by JERRY WOFFORD World Staff Writer

Alva Teacher Accused of Sex With Student Reportedly Commits Suicide

10-6-2011 Oklahoma:

ALVA, Oklahoma -- An Alva teacher who was being investigated on allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with a student apparently shot himself, a Woods' County sheriff's report said.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 4. Sheriff's deputies had traveled to the rural home of Michael Lyn Conner, 56, south of Alva to investigate. Deputies spoke with his wife and observed Conner sitting in a parked car.

The report said officers approached the vehicle and saw and heard one gunshot from inside the car. They discovered Conner with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Officers attempted life-saving procedures until an ambulance arrived, but Conner was pronounced dead at Share Medical Center in Alva.

Conner's body was transported to the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner's Office in Oklahoma City. The investigation is ongoing. ..Source.. by News9.com

Oklahoma City sex offender who shot himself when police arrived dies in hospital

10-7-2010 Oklahoma:

A registered sex offender who shot himself in the face when officers arrived at his south Oklahoma City home Tuesday died this afternoon.

Larry Dale Kirby, 43, was wanted for questioning in connection with the kidnapping and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl. Kirby died at OU Medical Center about 5 p.m. today, Oklahoma City police Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said.

Detectives went to Kirby's home at 3500 S Harvey Ave. about 2 p.m. Tuesday to talk to him about the kidnapping and assault reported Sept. 29 in the area of SW 59 and Blackwelder Avenue, Oklahoma City police Capt. Patrick Stewart said.

At the time of his death today, Kirby was being held at the hospital under an out-of-custody arrest on a complaint of failure to register as a sex offender.

No complaints were filed in connection with the Sept. 29 incident and detectives have not uncovered any evidence linking him to the crime, Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow said.

"Our detectives were following an investigative lead that led them to believe he was possibly the suspect in the attack," Stewart said.

Oklahoma City school officials issued warnings to patrons last week with specifics about the attack and urged parents to not let children walk to and from school by themselves.

The girl, a Jefferson Middle School student, told police a man approached her from behind about 7:45 a.m. Sept. 29, put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her if she screamed. He drove her around for about a half-hour before sexually assaulting her, police said.

Police officers entered Kirby's home Tuesday and he was behind a locked door, Stewart said. Police were about to open the door when they heard a gunshot, Stewart said.

Kirby was convicted in Oklahoma County in 1985 for second-degree burglary, in 1990 for sale of an alcoholic beverage to a minor and in 1998 for lewd proposals to or acts with a child under 16. Records show he was convicted of methamphetamine possession in 2005.

He served about two and half years in prison. ..Source.. by ROBERT MEDLEY Oklahoman

Ottawa County inmate's death ruled a suicide

9-16-2010 Oklahoma:

Authorities say an investigation into the death of an inmate at the Ottawa County jail revealed that the man committed suicide.

Donald Whitely, 39, of Miami, Oklahoma was found dead in his cell overnight on Wednesday.

Whitely had been charged with the following:

•rape in the 2nd degree
•possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony
•possession of drug paraphernalia in the presence of a minor
•possession of marijuana in the presence of a minor.

Updated 9/15 4:40 PM CST: In addition to charges of possession, we have learned that an Ottawa County inmate found dead in his cell had other charges against him.

Donald Whitely, 39, of Miami, Oklahoma was booked September 10 for rape in the 2nd degree and possession of firearm in commission of a felony.

Updated 9/15 2:40 PM CST: Authorities have released the identity of an Ottawa County jail inmate found dead in his cell overnight Wednesday.

Donald Whitely, 39, of Miami, Oklahoma, had been booked on September 10 for possession of drug paraphernalia in presence of a minor and possession of pot in presence of a minor.

The chief medical examiner is holding the body for autopsy.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death. ..Source.. by KOAM TV

Armed Robbery Suspect Found Hanged in Jail Cell

12-15-2009 Oklahoma:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- An armed robbery suspect arrested in the middle of traffic last week was found dead in his jail cell Saturday.

The arrest of 27-year-old DeAngelo Potts was all caught on tape by a dash cam. The police officer held Potts in his car until help arrived.

Potts was then booked into the Oklahoma County jail.

But being locked up and facing a long list of charges proved too much for the convicted felon and registered sex offender.

Potts was found hanging by a sheet from the top bunk of his cell about 3 a.m. Saturday and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Sheriff's office spokesman Mark Myers says Potts was alone in the cell and apparently committed suicide. ..Source.. by NewsOn6.com

OK- Convicted sex offender dies after setting himself on fire

This one is very disturbing because police sat there, doing nothing to stop him for 30 minutes, claiming they were afraid he was armed. Normally, police would stop a person -under any circumstances- from committing suicide, why were there no attempts here?

10-23-2009 Oklahoma:

A convicted sex offender burned to death when he set himself on fire as authorities served a warrant at his rural Tulsa County home Thursday.

Tulsa County sheriff’s deputies and state Pardon & Parole Board officers were sent to a house in the 14100 block of East Apache Street to contact Johnnie Joe Hobbs, 47, Capt. John Bowman said.

After finding the house empty, the squad peered into a cargo van that sat in the cluttered yard about 3 p.m. Hobbs, who was inside the van, reached out and slammed the door shut, Bowman said.

He then doused the van with gasoline and ignited it, Bowman said. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Bowman said Hobbs had spent time in prison and had indicated that he would do anything to avoid capture.

“There are a lot of people that will do a lot of things to keep from going back to jail,” he said. “To use a flammable liquid to ignite where they are, I have not seen that before.”

Investigators from the Tulsa Fire Department searched through the charred van into the evening, working around piles of garbage that were scattered about the property on the northeastern edge of Tulsa County.

Bowman said that because of the volatile nature of the incident, firefighters didn’t immediately enter the van to douse the flames. There were concerns that Hobbs might have been armed, but no weapons were found after a preliminary search.

About 30 minutes after Hobbs set the vehicle ablaze, authorities entered it and discovered his body in the cab, Bowman said.

The deputies had intended to serve three protective orders on Hobbs, and the parole officers were sent to revoke his suspended sentence for a Muskogee County conviction, Bowman said.

A relative of Hobbs’ gave officials a key to the house, and two of his siblings were in the area as the van burned, Bowman said.

Hobbs was the subject of protective orders in both Tulsa and Rogers counties, court records indicate. He also had been convicted of showing obscene material to a child, lewd molestation and making lewd proposals to a child. ..Source.. by MATT BARNARD and NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writers

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Tulsan burns himself to death

10-23-2009 Oklahoma:

The convicted sex offender sets himself afire as authorities attempt to serve him with a warrant.

A convicted sex offender burned to death when he set himself on fire as authorities served a warrant at his rural Tulsa County home Thursday.

Tulsa County sheriff's deputies and state Pardon and Parole Board officers were sent to a house in the 14100 block of East Apache Street to contact Johnnie Joe Hobbs, 47, Capt. John Bowman said.

After finding the house empty, the squad peered into a cargo van that sat in the cluttered yard about 3 p.m. Hobbs, who was in the van, reached out and slammed the door shut, Bowman said.

He then doused the van with gasoline and ignited it, Bowman said. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Bowman said Hobbs had spent time in prison and had indicated that he would do anything to avoid capture.

"There are a lot of people that will do a lot of things to keep from going back to jail," he said. "To use a flammable liquid to ignite where they are, I have not seen that before."

Investigators from the Tulsa Fire Department searched through the charred van into the evening, working around piles of garbage that were scattered about the property on the northeastern edge of Tulsa County.

Bowman said that because of the volatile nature of the incident, firefighters didn't immediately enter the van to douse the flames. There were concerns that Hobbs might have been armed, but no weapons were found after a preliminary search.

About 30 minutes after Hobbs set the vehicle ablaze, authorities entered it and discovered his body in the cab, Bowman said.

The deputies had intended to serve three protective orders on Hobbs, and the parole officers were sent to revoke his suspended sentence for a Muskogee County conviction, Bowman said.

A relative of Hobbs' gave officials a key to the house, and two of his siblings were in the area as the van burned, Bowman said.

Hobbs was the subject of protective orders in both Tulsa and Rogers counties, court records indicate.

He also had been convicted of showing obscene material to a child, lewd molestation and making lewd proposals to a child. ..Source.. by Matt Barnard 581-8408, Nicole Marshall 581-8459

OK- Officials identify dead inmate

2-16-2009 Oklahoma:

Lawton police have identifed an inmate found dead in his GEO prison cell, 8607 SE Flower Mound, on Friday night.

Lawton police and emergency personnel were dispatched to the prison around 10 p.m. on the report of a possible suicide. Lawton Police Department Capt. Jackie LaRoche said when officers arrived, they found 31-year-old Billy Joe Roberts dead after hanging himself with rope from a bunk.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, Roberts was serving a 35-year sentence for stealing a car, attempting to evade a police officer and sexual battery in 2008 in Ottawa County. He was convicted in November 2008 and was transferred to Lawton in January. ..Source.. by JOSH ROUSE

OK- Sex offenders struggle to find jobs

7-10-2005 Oklahoma:

As many as 270 sex offenders head to work in Tulsa each day, most in low-paying jobs in busy retail and industrial areas of the city, an analysis of Department of Corrections data indicates.

They often take jobs as stockers, carpenters, janitors, cooks, truck drivers, handymen and temporary laborers.

And those are the lucky ones.

Many sex offenders find it difficult to get a job while on the registry.

"It limits the type of employment that you can secure," said Sandra Lewis, executive director of the Day Center for the Homeless. "Just because of the stigma that goes along with having to register."

Plotting where each of the 584 registered sex offender lives in Tulsa reveals a map with many living in or near downtown. Other concentrations of sex offenders can be found living near 61st Street and Peoria Avenue, near 11th Street and U.S. 169 and 31st Street and Garnett Road.

Plotting where sex offenders work reveals a map depicting concentrations of offenders again in the downtown area as well as areas near major highways such as Memorial Drive between the Broken Arrow Expressway and the Creek Turnpike.

About 15 sex offenders also listed work addresses along the busy industrial area near Mingo Road between 51st and 61st streets, according to DOC data.

Nearly 60 percent of employed registered sex offenders working in Tulsa listed occupations in the labor industry such as painters and mechanics. Another 21 percent work in service industry type positions such as sales, customer service and in one case as a hair stylist.

Twenty-one registered offenders, or about 8 percent of the total employed, worked in professional-type positions such as engineers, computer programers and accountants.

Many sex offenders either work in the service industry or are self-employed, said the Rev. Steve Whitaker, executive director at John 3:16 Mission homeless shelter.

"Construction, concrete, roofing -- those kinds of things are where those guys typically can make a good living," Whitaker said.

"Some of those guys are dangerous and they need to be watched for the rest of their life," Whitaker said. "But there are some of them, I think, we can restore back to our cities, our churches, as our neighbors."

One mother said she is not sure how much of an impact the sex offender registration requirements had on her son and his attempts to find a job.

The mother, who requested anonymity, said her son was a senior at Salina High School in 1999 when he was arrested for what she described, with much embarrassment, as a "high school thing." The mother said her son was walking to the high school restroom when he exposed himself to a group of freshman gym students.

Police were called and her son was led away in handcuffs from school to jail, where he stayed until his court date, she said.

Four months later, he pleaded guilty to indecent exposure. He received a five-year suspended sentence and was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service, court records reflect.

While her son avoided prison time, she said he couldn't escape the specter that followed him in the small Mayes County community.

"He had to leave this community," the mother said.

Her son dropped out of high school and moved to Tulsa. The mother said her son had a hard time landing a job and when he did, he had trouble keeping it.

"It seemed like after that happened, he didn't care," the mother said.

Her son was found shot to death in November 2000 in a wooded area near Lake Hudson in what officials ruled a suicide, state Medical Examiner records indicate. He was one month shy of his 20th birthday.

Looking back, the mother said she is not sure whether having to register contributed to her son's suicide.

"I'm not saying that's what did it," the mother said. She said some consideration should be given to sex offender registration requirements when the charge stems from a nonviolent act.

"He was a pretty normal kid," the mother said. The sex offender registration requirements "changed his life." ..News Source.. by CURTIS KILLMAN World Staff Writer

OK- Texan suspected in ex-wife's death kills self

Posted in Related Deaths

9-10-2006 Oklahoma:

CHOUTEAU, Okla. -- A Texas man being sought in the death of his former wife killed himself after a police pursuit and standoff in Mayes County, authorities said Thursday. Officers found the body of Michael Dwayne Prock, 55, in a pickup truck about 4:30 a.m. in a field south of U.S. Highway 412, about a mile west of Chouteau. Prock admitted in a cell-phone conversation with a Hunt County, Texas, investigator that he had fatally shot ex-wife Delores Prock, 55, Hunt County Sheriff Don Anderson said. Her body was found Wednesday at a residence near Greenville, which is about 30 miles northeast of Dallas.

Michael Prock has relatives in the Inola area, authorities said. "He said he was going to drive until he ran out of gas and kill himself or get some officer to kill him," Anderson said. Authorities issued a bulletin about Prock, who was spotted by a Chouteau police officer in town about 1:20 a.m., officials said. After a low-speed pursuit, Prock's truck ran over police "stop sticks" and ended up in a field. Law enforcement officers tried to talk him out of the truck but were unsuccessful.

Prock, a registered sex offender in Hunt County, was convicted in May 1993 of sexual battery of a person older than 16, records show. He was upset that Delores Prock had "found someone else," and went to her house and shot her in the back, Hunt County authorities said. The pair recently had divorced. A Pryor police tactical team removed his body from the truck about 4:30 a.m., Mayes County Sheriff's Capt. Joe Garrett said.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office ruled that Prock died of a gunshot wound to the head. ..more.. : by KRIS TV

OK- Suicide suspected by a Durant man accused of sex crimes

6-10-2005 Oklahoma:

DURANT, Okla. (AP) Suicide is suspected in the death of a man accused of child sex crimes along with the former mayor of Achille.

58-year-old Kennith McKinney was found dead Thursday, apparently after shooting a relative. McKinney's body was found by Bryan County Sheriff Bill Sturch.

Sturch says he was coming around the front of the house and saw legs on the ground. Sturch says McKinney terminated his own life.

Sturch says McKinney apparently shot his stepson in the face and abdomen. The stepson survived.

McKinney was friends with John Wigington, Achille's former mayor. The two were accused of molesting four children.

Court records show Wigington is charged with second-degree rape and forcible sodomy. He told authorities Thursday he's willing to turn himself in on Monday. ..more.. by News6OK

Suspect in sexual attack dies after hanging himself: He was arrested in the Tuesday night assault and kidnapping of a woman outside a Tulsa store.

1-21-2006 Oklahoma:

Jan. 21--A registered sex offender who was arrested in connection with a kidnapping and sexual assault died Friday, one day after he hanged himself with a sheet at the Tulsa Jail. Timothy Lee Walker, 42, was pronounced dead at 1:07 p.m., Tulsa County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tim Albin said. Kidnapping, attempted rape and forcible sodomy charges were filed against Walker about 12:30 p.m. Friday, but they were dismissed later in the day after he died. Walker was booked into the Tulsa Jail on Wednesday on allegations that he kidnapped a woman from the Walgreens parking lot at 6415 E. Pine St. and sexually assaulted... ..more.. by Nicole Marshall