Oklahoma

Paralegal held hostage at law firm helped police negotiate with gunman

An ordinary day at work at an Oklahoma immigration law firm ended at lunchtime Monday for paralegal Jennifer McMinn-Shokat. Someone came into the Farzaneh Law Firm and warned that a gunman was nearby. She and a coworker locked the glass front doors, then refused to open them and ran when…

Nov 12, 2014 3:51 PM CST

CEO must pay $995M in divorce case; analyst calls ‘rather small’ award good news for shareholders

In one of the largest divorce-court awards ever, an Oklahoma court has ruled that oil magnate Harold Hamm, 68, must pay his ex-wife more than $995 million. But Sue Ann Hamm, 58, had sought more, and observers say the award in the Oklahoma County case is good news for shareholders…

Nov 10, 2014 2:50 PM CST

Murderer slashes lawyer with smuggled blade, gets life, will now face new case in attorney attack

After his handcuffs were removed in anticipation of sentencing, a convicted murderer reportedly stood behind one of his lawyers in a an Oklahoma courthouse conference room on Friday and slashed the attorney’s neck with a smuggled razor blade. The unidentified lawyer was not seriously hurt but “did have quite a…

Oct 24, 2014 2:50 PM CDT

Facebook post informing dad of planned adoption wasn’t adequate notice, top state court says

Pregnant and planning to have her baby adopted, an Oklahoma woman sent a Facebook post to the father to let him know. But that was not sufficient notice to prevent him from later asserting his parental rights, the state’s top court has ruled. “This court is unwilling to declare notice…

Oct 16, 2014 3:25 PM CDT

Father-and-son district attorney duo are first in state, newspaper says

A father and son who are simultaneously serving as district attorney in their respective counties are reportedly the first in their state to do so. Chris Boring was still in college at Oklahoma State University when his dad, Mike Boring, was elected DA of the Oklahoma Panhandle in 2002. But…

Sep 15, 2014 4:25 PM CDT

Poorly placed IV blamed for difficult execution

An IV didn’t properly penetrate a femoral vein to deliver execution drugs to Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett, according to a report ordered after the inmate kicked and grimaced during the lengthy procedure. The report (PDF) by Oklahoma public safety commissioner Michael Thompson said executioners didn’t notice a bulge larger than…

Sep 5, 2014 2:04 PM CDT

Does press have First Amendment right to view entire execution? ACLU sues over closed blinds

A lawsuit filed on behalf of two journalists and their newspapers claims the press has a First Amendment right to view executions in their entirety. The suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Oklahoma says Oklahoma denied journalists a First Amendment right of access in…

Aug 25, 2014 4:07 PM CDT

Archbishop drops lawsuit against satanist group after leader agrees to return consecrated host

Updated: A Roman Catholic archbishop in Oklahoma City is dropping a lawsuit he filed against a satanist group contending it was in unauthorized possession of a consecrated Eucharistic host. The group had planned to use the blessed bread wafer in a “black Mass” scheduled for next month. Adam Daniels, who…

Aug 22, 2014 11:39 AM CDT

Law firm gets $41K in public records case over dashcam, is suing again to find out what city spent

An Oklahoma city must pay its opponent’s $41,000 legal bill in an open-records case over police dashcam footage. Costs of a little less than $1,400 were included in the award to Ward & Lee by a Rogers County judge on Friday, reports the Claremore World. The law firm had sought…

Jul 29, 2014 2:45 PM CDT

Loaded gun found in purse of woman at courthouse to attend hearing over grandchildren

An Oklahoma woman was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor weapon charge after she tried to bring a loaded handgun into the Cleveland County Courthouse, authorities said. Sheriff’s deputies spotted the weapon in the purse of Cynthia Bodnar, 52, as she was undergoing a standard security screening. They said the .22…

Jul 28, 2014 9:05 PM CDT

Attorney accused of harboring a fugitive in his law office gives up law license

A former prosecutor accused last year of harboring a fugitive—his legal assistant—in his law office for several months has given up his license to practice. The resignation of William Mark Blasdel was accepted by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in a Tuesday opinion (PDF). He was criminally charged last year with…

May 29, 2014 7:50 PM CDT

Mailbox bomb explodes at DA’s home shortly after a grand jury declined to indict her in probe

A bomb in the home mailbox of an Oklahoma district attorney detonated and blew the door off the mailbox; the damage was discovered Tuesday by a mail carrier. No one was injured, and authorities say Rogers County DA Janice Steidley was not home at the time, according to KFOR and…

May 23, 2014 7:42 PM CDT

Courts face bullying and intimidation by pols and partisans, say two retired state justices

Two retired state justices are condemning an “atmosphere of bullying” that threatens the independence of the nation’s courts. Writing for the Washington Post, retired chief justices Ruth McGregor of Arizona and Randall Shepard of Indiana cite some examples. In Oklahoma, the supreme court dissolved its stay of execution for Clayton…

May 20, 2014 12:44 PM CDT

Okla. Supreme Court issues 11th-hour stays to 2 pending executions

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has stayed the pending executions of two death row inmates whose fates have become entwined in an ongoing jurisdictional battle with a lower court. The two inmates have successfully challenged the constitutionality of the state’s so-called supplier-secrecy law, which had allowed the state to keep secret…

Apr 23, 2014 6:45 PM CDT

Barefoot gunman gets 23 years in shooting outside courthouse that injured 2

The barefoot gunman in a 2012 shooting outside an Oklahoma courthouse was sentenced Monday to a little over 23 years in prison, Tulsa World reports. His family said Andrew Joseph “Joe” Dennehy, 25, is a paranoid schizophrenic and he pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. However, a jury convicted…

Mar 31, 2014 9:55 PM CDT