Oklahoma In Brief: Thursday November 13, 2008

Published: November 13, 2008

TULSA

Man charged in killings

Tulsa County prosecutors filed two murder and five other felony charges Wednesday against Andrew Allen Mathis, 24, of Tulsa, who allegedly drove a car into a crowd on purpose, killing two people. Mathis is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Nov. 1 deaths of Carlos F. Lopez Jr., 30, of Midland, Texas, and Dennis L. Cox, 38, of Kimberling City, Mo. Mathis also faces five counts of assault and battery by means likely to produce death for injuries he is accused of inflicting on five other people. Mathis remains in custody in the Tulsa County jail.

NORMAN

Texan charged in drug case

David Miguel Soto, 22, of Texas is in the Cleveland County jail in connection with the transportation of 32 pounds of marijuana on Interstate 35. Soto was charged this week with trafficking marijuana and failure to display a tax stamp on controlled dangerous drugs. According to court records, a Norman officer pulled a car over on I-35. A detective who arrived later had his dog sniff the car, in which 32 one-pound bricks of marijuana were found in its trunk.

PURCELL

Texas man dies in state wreck

Coleman Hearne, 29, of Arlington, Texas, died at the scene of an accident about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday on Interstate 35 near Purcell in McClain County, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported. Bessie Maryan, 78, of Blanchard was northbound when she made an improper attempt to turn around in the center median, the patrol said. Daniel Santos, 38, of Hot Springs, Ark., was behind her in a tractor-trailer rig and collided with her car. The rig then struck Hearne’s car, troopers said.

OWASSO

Suspect held in man’s slaying

A man was shot and killed in Owasso late Tuesday, and a 46-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting, authorities said. The victim’s name hasn’t been released. Kraig Kallstrom has been booked into the Rogers County jail on a murder complaint. Shortly before midnight, authorities found the victim dead in a house on E 112th Street North. The shooting happened while the men were arguing, authorities said.

MIDWEST CITY

Lab technician sues hospital

Hospital laboratory technician Julia Staples claims she was fired from her job for being overweight. Staples of Choctaw filed a lawsuit Monday in Oklahoma County District Court alleging Midwest Regional Medical Center and Dr. James Kevin Lee violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. Her attorney, Joseph Ashbaker, said she lost her job because she failed a cardiovascular test that hospital officials required her to take because her body mass index was too high. He said his client worked in the lab for more than four years and was hired by the hospital. She later worked for Lab Corp. when that company took over the lab. Hospital spokeswoman Heidi Valenzuela declined to comment, but said every employee is required to undergo a physical to ensure they can perform essential duties.

OKLAHOMA CITY

Nonprofit aid announced

The Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits plans to help more than 18,000 statewide nonprofit organizations. Officials announced Wednesday they are launching The Oklahoma Alliance of Nonprofits to support the nonprofit sector through training, networking, and group-buying programs. "For years, nonprofit organizations in Oklahoma have diluted their buying power and resources, and have duplicated efforts, by doing things individually that could have been done in collaboration,” Howard Barnett, chairman of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, said.

TULSA

EMSA to debut new sirens

The Emergency Medical Services Authority, based in Tulsa, will become the first ambulance service in the nation to outfit its entire fleet with new Howler sirens, designed to emit low-frequency tones that penetrate objects within 200 feet to alert drivers. Even if drivers can’t hear an ambulance coming, they’ll be able to feel it. EMSA plans to have them installed on all 77 units within six months.

GUYMON

School meal prices hiked

The Guymon School Board approved a 25-cent rise in breakfast and lunch prices. The increases are based on a recommendation from state auditors who said Guymon schools weren’t charging enough. The new prices will go into effect on Jan. 5.

PURCELL

County lifts burning ban

McClain County commissioners voted Wednesday to lift a county burn ban. Director of emergency management Ed Cravens said all open fires must be approved by local fire departments.

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