Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 70, No. 19, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 5, 1983 Page: 2 of 18
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Sapulpa Herald and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
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LOCAL
PAGE TWO-A
Wt-dncsda). October 5, 1983
Sapulpa Daily Herald
early Wednesday The telephone request, the Herald has learned, was
made Tuesday night, but was delayed until a change in Jailers at 11 p.m.
and delayed again until 2 a m. while the new Jailer completed paper work
and early duties.
Dean called lus mother in Bristow, talking about three to four minutes,
the Herald has learned, and then managed to get behind the Jailer while
returning to his cell. With the Jailer between him and the cells, Dean pull-
ed the gun and forced the woman to unlock the cell blocks, freeing the
other five men.
Whitworth would not say if the weapon was loaded, although no infor-
mation concerning ammunition has been uncovered during the week long
manhunt and investigation into the breakout
"They took the gun, the knives and the Jailer's purse We have not
recovered any of those things, ” Whitworth said. We think DelFrate has
the gun.”
Whitworth said since the jailbreak several steps had been taken to un-
prove security in the county Jail and sheriff’s offices — which are housed
in the same building directly behind the Creek County courthouse
1 No trusty is allowed outside the Jail proper without direct supervision
by a deputy,” Whitworth said. "This means they do not have access to of-
fices or the radio room unless somebody is with them ”
Jailers have been instructed not to remove any prisoners from a felony
tank after normal working hours without another officer present unless a
major emergency happens. Whitworth said
Offices are being equipped with deadbolt locks which should eliminate
burglary attempts and any contraband is to be locked in a safe place as
soon as it is brought into the sheriffs office and tagged, Whitworth said
Meanwhile, charges of escape from the Department of Corrections are
being filed against James Kent Porter, 33, of Sapulpa, and Thompson,
Whitworth said The sheriff said the two men were being held in county
jail while state holds had been placed against them, which makes the
charge different from escape from county Jail, which is being filed
against Elmo Ray Lewis, Dean, Waggoner and DelFrate
"We haven’t given up hopes of finding DelFrate, Thompson and Wag-
goner, Whitworth said. "It is Just taking a little more time and effort
than I like."
Defendant
Defense attorney Curt Miller ask-
ed Moore if his interview with White
had been taped. Moore answered
that White did not want to be on tape
until he can get his lawyer with him.
He told Miller that he wrote down
what White told him and even had
White confirm or correct some of the
notes he took
‘‘Did you ask any specific ques-
tions?” Miller asked.
Moore answered that it was a
"casual interview."
Other state witnesses included
Sapulpa police officer Rick Weaver,
who testified that when he respond-
ed to the call from the Abraham
home, he saw Abraham lying on the
floor with a gunshot wound. He add-
ed that he later talked with Ronnie
Abraham at Bartlett Memorial
Medical Center.
“He asked me how badly had he
been shot, I said it looked real bad,"
Weaver testified. “I asked him If he
knew who shot him, he said
Rawshall White.”
Vemell Heath Jr., who was at the
Big Cabin cafe the night of the
shooting, testified that after the
shots were fired, White came into
the cafe and said ‘‘I got the sucker,
he put me on two years probation.”
Judge Woodson told witnesses and
the Jury to disregard White’s past
criminal record.
Willis Bruner, Jr., Abraham's
cousin who was also at the cafe,
testified that he saw White shoot
Abraham and that before the
shooting White had told him
(Bruner) that ‘‘I don’t care about
living."
Both Heath and Bruner testified
that they did not see Abraham carry
weapons the night of the shooting.
Jim Looney, a firearms examiner
with the Okahoma Bureau of In-
vestigation explained how he ex-
amined White’s gun and bullets
found in Abraham’s body.
Medical examiner Dr. M.F. Mer-
chant testified that upon examining
Abraham's body, he concluded he
died of a gunshot wound
(Hiituarv
address
The four men were scheduled for a
bond hearing this morning before
U.S Magistrate Robert Kizley on all
six of the counts contained in the
indictment.
Agents said the arrests went
without incident after warrants
were issued by federal authorities
after the indictments were returned
Services for William N.
Ward will be held at Bixby
Free Holiness Church with
Hay Calvert officiating.
Burial will follow in Duck
Creek Cemetery, laberty,
under direction of I-eonard
Funeral Home
Mr. Ward, who was born
Dec 22,1909, died Monday
He lived in Tulsa and was a
retired carpenter.
Survivors include four
sons, William A. Ward,
Tulsa, W.C. Ward, Terlton,
Ray Ward, Owasso, Roy
Edward Ward, Mounds;
two daughters. Mrs Mane
Harvey, Okmulgee,
Maybell Turner, Sapulpa;
a brother, Ralph Ward,
Watts; three sisters, Vida
Coker, Eufaula, Myrtle
Price, Grove, Ruth Kan-
nady, Wheatland. Mo.; 19
grandchildren, and nine
great-grandchildren
OHP Trooper
next to his body, Creek County Am-
bulance Supervisor John Bliss Sr.
said
Green said investigation had
determined the suspect in Bench's
shooting is not one of the three
escapees from the Creek County still
at large after their jailbreak last
Wednesday
A search began at once for the
driver of a vehicle described as
black Subaru pickup, believed to be
a 1978 model, registered to a Charles
Brown, Route 3, Bristow, an OHP
trooper at the shooting scene said.
The vehicle in question was spot-
ted a short time after the shooting
heading toward Bristow on U.S. 66
and the report sent numerous
troopers and lawmen into the area.
OHP officials said the suspect's
driver's license was found clutched
in Bench's hand when emergency
crews reached the stricken officer.
District Attorney David Young,
who rushed to the scene from a
Creek County courtroom where he
was directing prosecution of a
murder case, said three pasaersby
saw the shooting take place.
"We have all of these people at my
office now and we are interviewing
them as to what happened," Young
said. "We cannot comment on any
suspect at this time since we think
he is a local boy and we don’t have
him in custody "
Green said the suspect is believed
to have a past criminal record and
"that he may have several outstan-
ding felony warrants against him
Green said what triggered the
shooting was unknown Bench’s
patrol car windows were shattered,
both in front and to the rear of the
vehicle by gunshots
Officers at the scene would not say
if Bench had been able to return fire
before he was hit.
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Oklahoma State Bureau of In-
vestigation, Tulsa County Sheriff's
deputies, Tulsa police, Bristow
police, Mannford police, Sand Spr-
ings police, Sapulpa police, Creek
County deputies and more than 30
OHP troopers were involved in the
search for thgunman.
Sapulpa Police Chief Jack McKen-
rie, one of the first on the scene, said
Bench “was a fine policeman and a
gentleman. He was respected by our
men and the men in our the depart-
ment were very close to him This is
a tragic loss, a very tragic thing ”
Bench had Joined the OHP 18 mon-
ths ago, attending the most recent
trooper acadmeny and was station-
ed In Sand Springs about six months
ago.
Bench was the father of a four-
month-old girl and the husband of
the former Mary Ann Garrison of
Sapulpa.
4 WfSTSUS fAMllV TMI
1010 l Toll
224 7700
LT. DAN JONES, stan-
ding. from left, Under-
sheriff Bill McIntyre and
Det. Capt. Darrell
Newman (top photo)
observe as ambulance at-
tendents treat I*on Bench,
an Oklahoma Highway
Patrol officer who was
critically wounded in a
shooting late this morning.
The bullets (see arrows,
middle photo) apparently
traveled through the wind-
shield of his patrol car.
Newman, McIntyre and
several others (bottom
photo) continue life-saving
efforts while awaiting a
Lifeflight helicopter
(Herald photos by Glenn C.
McCaaland and Dick
Robbins)
THiDtsmuiTioNtM JmuoStn
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Lake, Charles S. Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 70, No. 19, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 5, 1983, newspaper, October 5, 1983; Sapulpa, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1499850/m1/2/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed June 27, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.