Stilwell Democrat Journal (Newspaper) - May 29, 1986, Stilwell, Oklahoma Ok la. Historical Society Historical Oklahoma OK 73105 89th 15 5,400 Copies Adair Oklahoma 74960 May 29, 1986 25 State Probe of Bondsmen is Seen A Sequoyah County grand jury into the state's bail bonding industry has uncovered Nathan assistant district said last The grand jury listened to testimony from former employees of a company that once wrote most of the bail bonds in Oklahoma and from state Insurance Commission Gerald Although Young did not name any individuals or companies who were identified in the District Attorney Gerald Hunter had earlier stated the grand jury would investigate the bail bonding activities of Sallisaw bondsman Felix Vaughn Taylor and his former Independence Fire and Casualty Co. Fewer Bondsmen In 1982 Taylor controlled a third of Oklahoma's bail bondsmen and had bonding operations in 50 of the state's 77 owner of Taylor Bonding has considerably fewer bondsmen reporting to him today but an exact number is Independence Fire & Casualty Co. was placed in receivership in January after Grimes said the surety which by then had been sold by was unable to pay claims and was not maintaining adequate financial staff has estimated court clerks across the state may lose up to million in forfeitures on outstanding bail bonds written on the Since then the company has sued seeking he allegedly owes on bail bond Independence & Casualty stopped writing bail bonds in November 1984. The company was purchased in February 1985 by Tulsa Fred England with state Sen Gene Stipe of McAlester and Rep Jim Lane of Idabel as The Sequoyah County grand jury referred the evidence to the FBI and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation because the panel lacked the jurisdiction to issue indictments based on the testimony received during its three-week To Decide Merit Young said the information should be presented to the state insurance commission and the law enforcement agencies and have those agencies decide whether the testimony has prosecutorial Because of the type and location of the alleged crimes any charges must be filed either in federal courts or in Oklahoma White collar crimes generally include tax and wire and securities Bert Insurance Commission general asked Young to forward to his office any about the bail bonding industry collected by the grand although Marshall said it would be difficult to prosecute any possible wrongdoing involving Independence Fire and Stop Keeping Books white-collar crimes you Will Says Duke gave million to Duke just for a course in inhaling and Mr Eastman saw him raised him and gave million to Rochester for a course in Double if I was a rich I wouldn't give any money to Just would amend the Have 'em pass a Con- Amendment anybody from learning And if it works as good as the Prohibition in five years we would have the smartest race of people on 1926 have to have excellent We don't have that They stopped keeping Marshall He said he was referring to the period when the company was owned by Young confirmed former Independence employees testified before the grand but he refused to identify those people or discuss the citing state grand jury secrecy TAKING A REST while out bicycling is Stacy daughter of Mr and Mrs Dennis Hart of Johnson City Pool Opens June 2 The Stilwell swimming pool will open next June 2 for the Louis pool Hours will be from 12 o'clock noon to 6 p.m. Admission will be pool will also be available for parties all day Saturdays and from 7 to 9 p.m. for McGee Beginning swimmers can register today and May 29-30, for free swimming lessons sponsored by the Stilwell Kiwanis Hours for registration are from 1 to 5 p.m. can call the pool at 696-7794 or come by the pool to he Two Pickups In Accident Pickup trucks driven by Steven Wayne 18, and Michael 26, both of were involved in a traffic accident on S. Third St. on Standpipe Hill on May 16, city policeman Dennis Shay who listed no damage estimate on either said in his written report that Benham's 1981 Chevrolet pickup was sideswiped by 1965 Ford after which Benham followed the other vehicle to get the tag number and report it to Smoke Bring Firemen Firemen were called to the Barbara Johnson home at 8 p.m. Monday as a precautionary measure after a main ground wire broke loose from an outside connection causing power The power sparks and smoke alerted Mrs Johnson who immediately called the fire On inspection by no other damage was NEW KIWANIAN Guy Strickland has been inducted into the Stilwell Kiwanis Club as a new The Weather By Berry A. Ferguson Official Observer Date High Low May 20 72 43 May 21 75 53 May 22 81 62 May 23 77 67 trace May 24 77 62 May 25 74 64 May 26 76 55 trace High temperature for - Low temperature for Total precipitation for FRU Offices Burglarized Last Week Four occurred in Stilwell Thursday and Saturday of last the city police department A vandalism incident was also city said rooms at Flaming Rainbow 419 N. Second were broken into last The thieves stole an estimated in cash plus a television set valued at and a calculator valued at broke off the hinges on an outside door and entered the building through the gym Sullins said in his door of Mike office was broken open and a pair of cutters were The cutters were used to cut the locks off about six more the report The in change was stolen from two soda pop Vandalism Reported The vandalism occurred at Feeders 323 S. Second between Wednesday night and Thursday morning of last week when someone threw a rock through a window on the southwest corner of the was no apparent entry to the policeman Frank Rutledge said in his In addition to the break-in at these local burglaries were Church is Entered Central Baptist S. Front Frank Rutledge said one or more thieves broke a window with a rock on the of the building and went through all the rooms in the Nothing was apparently Rutledge said a brown hair net was the broken Bert's 66 326 S. Second policeman James Clay said a thief or thieves used a cement block to break out the northeast window of the service A Tom's potato chip containing about worth of was Blackburn's Feed 300 S. Second said a window was broken out on the southwest corner of the Nothing was apparently but the thief or thieves left behind two empty peanut STOLEN CAR FOUND A 1978 Buick Park Avenue Electra belonging to Lola Carson was stolen shortly before noon Tuesday of this week from its parking place at Hickory Village on W. Hickory St. The car was found abandoned at at the north edge of NEW RADAR UNITS are demonstrated by Stilwell city policeman Jr. who is shown locking in the speed of an oncoming The City of Stilwell recently purchased two units to be used in controlling speeders within the Johnson Effective Aug. 1 Gas Bills to be By Penny Dotson Customers of the Northeast Oklahoma Public Facilities Authority's Gas System will benefit from approximately 15 percent reductions in their gas bills effective Aug. 1, Page local representative on the 'A to what they are us Stilwell customers will be charged a minimum rate of which is the same as the current Arnall the rate per thousand cubic feet will be reduced from to which is a decrease of almost 15 Same for Year which in the past had fluctuated from month to will stay the same for an entire The adjustment after the first year is supposed to be about three he The has been negotiating the new contract for the past five The new agreement is with Indian Nations Fuel and provides for supply of natural gas to Tahlequah and to the Gas System through facilities of Oklahoma Natural Gas District Meeting Of Assessors Here County assessors and their deputies from counties in the northeast district of Oklahoma will attend a meeting in Stilwell this Mrs Liz Adair County's will serve as hostess for the Attendance is expected to total between 100 and 125 The at Stilwell High School's will also include a tour of the Stilwell Foods Mrs Bailey said speakers will include Cliff state Bob Hartman of the Oklahoma Tax and George president of the Oklahoma Association of Oklahoma Retirees To be Feted A recognition and awards program honoring Stilwell's retiring school teachers will be held at 12 o'clock noon today The program will be held in the Doss Stilwell Cafeteria at Stilwell High Meeting Set For Tuesday ROAD in housing addition near Memorial Hospital are Ladonna and Michael Their parents are Janis and Ray and Connie and Ted all of Johnson Finishing touches on two major committees are expected to be made at a regular weekly breakfast meeting of the Stilwell Area Chamber of Commerce next The at Cakes and will begin at 7 a.m. Larry presided over this week's meeting attended by only eight Strauss had previously announced that John Fanning would head the retail committee and Charles Crozier the industrial Members of the committees are to be announced next Precipitation Tops 18 Inches Precipitation in the Stilwell area since Jan. 1 totals 18.24 Berry A. official The latest totaling of an was recorded on May 24 and 25. Cut Co. and those owned by the The authority has purchased gas from ONG since 1962. a 1985 court small gas producers can now transport their gas through lines belonging to other Marvin executive director of Substantial The savings for large gas users will be The new contract will save Northeastern State University in one of largest nearly over a one-year The lower rates are expected to place Stilwell and Westville in a position to attract new industries which need an economical source of In addition to these three the authority also supplies natural gas to the Fairland and Grove areas through a separate network unaffected by the new Hearing is Set June 19 A preliminary hearing for Dan charged with has been rescheduled for 10 a.m. June 18 in district court The originally set for Wednesday of this was rescheduled upon agreement of both The defendant is charged with embezzling while serving as executive director of the Stilwell Housing Merry-Go-Round The month of brides begins Lee says he'll never forget the little rhyme recited to him by a nun many years ago when he was a pupil in a Catholic school in a job is once never leave it till it's Be the labor great or do it well or not at Barbara Pumpkin brings the an Indian Blanket new state students of Mrs Joyce typing classes at Stilwell High toured the Thursday of last Mrs Juanita Bigby up the were lots empty seats in Stilwell's public system on Memorial in advance as a regular school Willie Means and Kenny Davidson at the Day is just around the Cooks at the Stilwell Junior High receiving compliments again for their excellent chocolate chip Area cemeteries are a blaze of color following Decoration Jake says you're getting old when you want to see how long your car will last instead of how fast it will
