Free Republic

On February 10th, there was a "Second Amendment Day" at the Oklahoma capitol in Oklahoma City.  It was successful enough that even AP felt obligated to mention it.  From AP: A few dozen activists met in the Capitol rotunda on Monday for a rally hosted by the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association. This looks like a story that is being mostly ignored by the old media.  I would like to write about it.   If you have any sources for pictures of the rally, or contacts with people who were there, please let me know. Dean Weingarten

A Tulsa man who is accused of assaulting and raping a woman in front of children was arrested Monday night. Rigoberto Piedra, 33, was taken into custody in the 1100 block of South Utica Avenue. Officers were called to Hillcrest Medical Center on Monday after a woman was admitted with injuries she reportedly sustained during a domestic assault, police said. The woman told detectives that Piedra punched and kicked her and pulled her hair on Sunday and Monday at a residence in the 7800 block of East King Place, an arrest report says. She said Piedra tied her hands and...

I have to admit being taken aback by this  reward poster at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation website.   I can see the utility in grabbing a graphic from  the Internet that is unlikely to draw a complaint from the owner.  It may even be in the public domain.  But I find the juxtaposition of Glock Perfection with a double child murder case to be a little disturbing. The pistol may be useful in the trial of Kevin Sweat, who has given a confession of sorts.   A hearing has been scheduled to determine if the video of the confession will...

The State of Oklahoma passed its Open Carry Law in early 2012, one year prior to the Mississippi law. By all appearances it would seem that Oklahoma did an outstanding job in looking ahead with a proactive plan to limit challenges for the future. Sadly, Mississippi’s approach has been more reactive than proactive. Shortly after the Oklahoma legislative session ended, law enforcement authorities began to develop plans to deal with their new open carry law. Stories began to surface as early as a month or so following the end of the session and up to the effective date of the...

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in a now-famous rant, put out the "Not Welcome" mat in front of Empire State pro-lifers.  If you're conservative, he said, you're not welcome in his state.  NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio sided with him "100%". Oklahoma State Representative Rebecca Hamilton, who has served in the Oklahoma House for 18 years, has published a response to the governor's inflammatory remarks on her blog, Public Catholic, which can be found on the Catholic Portal at Patheos.   Rep. Hamilton first gratefully acknowledges the statement from Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo, who publicly...

PERRY — For the 1,500-mile ride from Houston to Los Angeles last October, the 12 illegal immigrants had been crammed into a 2004 black Suburban with their driver and another man.Some sat in the very back, where there were no seats. One later acknowledged he paid $400 for his spot. Their trip ended not in sunny California but in northern Oklahoma when the driver fell asleep on Interstate 35 the morning of Oct. 21. The Suburban rolled over one-and-a-half times inside the median and ended up on its top about a mile south of Perry, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported....

(Reuters) - A Tucson couple were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of holding their daughters captive in the family's home in filthy conditions for up to two years, with the girls complaining they had not been allowed to bathe for months, police said. Police responded to the house on Tuesday after the two youngest girls, ages 12 and 13, ran to a neighbor's house and said their stepfather had kicked in their bedroom door and tried to attack them with a knife, Tucson police Captain Michael Gillooly told reporters. "During the course of the investigation, it was alleged by the...

TULSA, Oklahoma - Police are searching for a burglar who was shot multiple times. He was caught in the act by a homeowner, who showed no mercy. The burglar was taken to the hospital on October 12, but now he's essentially disappeared. Police have already arrested one man for the burglary and now they're searching for Michael Watts. The homeowner who shot Watts said it's a shame that Watts broke into his house looking for gold and left full of lead. (snip) Watts had surgery and disappeared. Now, detectives have issued an arrest warrant for him. "The problem with burglary...

This would be a fairly common "homeowner defends life and property" story, but it has a couple of interesting twists. John Becker was watching TV, saw the dome light on his truck go on, and took his shotgun to investigate.  The car burglar refused to obey commands, kept coming at him, and reached into his pocket. This is where it gets interesting.   As is common in deadly force situations, time seems to slow for John.  The phenomena is called tachypsychia.   In John's words, from newson6.com, "It happens fast, but to me its like things just slow-motioned," Becker said. "For some...

Tulsa, Okla. — A homeowner returns from a walk Saturday evening and finds an intruder inside his home near Skelly and Lewis. Police say they received the call around 6 p.m., but not just for a burglary.

TULSA, Oklahoma - Police arrested an apartment resident after maintenance personnel working in an attic discovered holes in the ceiling above his neighbor's apartment. Police have identified the suspect as Carlos Perez, 26. Tulsa Police found holes in the ceiling of several more apartments at Tower Crossing Apartments in the 4400 block of South 109th East Avenue. They also found a steak knife, pepper spray, woman's panties, a wig, unused condoms and pornographic material in the attic. The woman who lived in the first apartment told officers her personal items had been disappearing for more than a year. Police said...

Did “bored” teen James Edwards learn about crime from his mother? Edwards is the 15-year-old apparent gang member accused of shooting Australian baseball player Chris Lane in the back last Friday. He appeared in court Tuesday and reportedly made a mockery of the proceedings. A search on Mugshots.com turns up one Brenda M. Edwards, 50, of Stephens County, Oklahoma. I called the Stephens County district attorney’s office today and confirmed that Brenda M. Edwards is James Edwards’ mother. Edwards is currently incarcerated in the Oklahoma Department of Corrections . Her extensive rap sheet begins in 1994 with a conviction for...

THE teenagers accused of murdering Melbourne baseball player Chris Lane were dobbed in by a local who claims his son was the trio's next target. Chancey Allen Luna, 16, and James Francis Edwards Jr., 15 have been charged with first-degree murder over the fatal shooting in Duncan, Oklahoma. Michael Dewayne Jones, 17, was charged with using a vehicle in the discharge of a weapon and with accessory to first-degree murder after the fact.

OWASSO – A homeowner shot a man who broke into his residence Sunday night, police said. Timothy Wall, 44 was arrested on a complaint of first-degree burglary, Police Capt. Tracy Townsend said. Police received a call at 8:18 p.m. about a break-in in progress at a home in the 9900 block of E. 100th Pl. N., Townsend said. Three minutes later, authorities were notified that the homeowner had fired two shots at the intruder, police said. Police discovered the intruder on the back patio with a gunshot wound to his thigh. He was treated at the scene at transported to...

Police arrested a 21-year-old Lawton man Wednesday after he was shot during an alleged attempted break-in. LPD Sgt. Henry Bryant said he met with a 23-year-old woman at her home in the 6300 block Northwest Oak Avenue around 11 a.m. She told Bryant that she had heard someone knocking loudly on her door but when she asked "Who is it?" received no reply. When the suspect began kicking the door, the woman said she moved her couch in front of it to make a barricade, the report states. The man began knocking on her front windows so she went to...

A man was shot in north Tulsa late Friday evening and died in surgery, according to police. They have arrested a man in the death but say it appears to have been a case of self-defense. Police said when they arrived at East 54th Street North and Frankfort Place, they found a wounded 34-year-old man in the front yard of a residence. The man had at least one gunshot to the lower torso and was transported by EMSA in critical condition, investigators said. He died after being rushed into surgery. "It appears that he may have been shot at different...

EDMOND - UPDATE - Edmond police say a homeowner shot and killed an intruder early Saturday morning. Marlow Dewayne Wilson, Jr., 20, broke into a home in the 1900 block of Cobblestone Ct. about 3:40 a.m., according to police. "One of the first things [the homeowner] did was call 911. That allows us to get here quickly," Edmond Police spokesperson Jenny Monroe said. "One person in the home was checking what was going on and the other person was on the phone with 911." One homeowner shot Wilson. Monroe said Wilson was dead by the time EMSA arrived. "We're just...

SNIPPET: "Authorities in Ecuador are officially treating the disappearance of an Oklahoma City valedictorian as a kidnapping case, according to family members searching for the teen." SNIPPET: "Classen SAS graduate August Reiger went missing Sunday from a mountain near his Baños resort where he had been staying for the last week." SNIPPET: "The U.S. Embassy says it is in close contact with the Reiger family while the State Department continues to warn of the dangers in the area." SNIPPET: "The family tells supporters in Oklahoma City that roughly 150 people searched for August on Tuesday. Those close to August say...

TULSA, Oklahoma - The owner of a Tulsa lawn care service made use of his handgun permit to protect himself and his business Monday afternoon. The owner was on a mower when he said two people tried to steal some of this other equipment in a neighborhood near 31st and Garnett. He said the two people also tried to run him over in the truck they were driving. It was at that point he said he made the decision to draw his weapon. A bullet hole and a couple of flat tires was all the damage left behind after Steve...

OKLAHOMA CITY - Police say an elderly man held a 28-year-old burglary suspect at gunpoint when the man allegedly tried to break into his house early Thursday morning. The man was awakened around 4:30 a.m. when he heard noise at his back door in the 5000 block of S. Bypass Terrace. When he went to investigate, he said he saw Anthony Cabralalez attempting to break in to the house. The victim told Cabralalez to stop and go away, but the suspect kept trying to get inside the house. The victim said he even tried to get in through a small...