Tag Archives: delaware county

News To Know: federal indictment in child pornography case and Ottawa county jail protests.

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Ok. – An Afton, Oklahoma man is now federally indicted in a child porn case. In May 2021 Glenn Nickols was arrested in Delaware county on charges of aggravated possession of child porn and distribution of child porn. According to court documents an investigation opened after an internet company flagged images of child exploitation. Nickols was convicted and sentenced to ten years. Last week he was charged in federal court as the victims are members of the Cherokee tribe. To read more about this story, click here.

MIAMI, Ok. – Family and friends of Terral Brooks Ellis II protested outside the Ottawa county courthouse on Thursday. They called for justice for the inmate’s death in custody in 2015. Ellis’ mom Shelly Bliss filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s department in 2017 which is still in the court system and not resolved. In the lawsuit Bliss alleges the nurse working for the jail did not provide medical care to her son. The protest will go again this morning in front of the Ottawa county courthouse starting at 11 am. Click here if you’d like to read more about this story.

NEOSHO, Mo. – Officials with the city of Neosho and Missouri Department of Transportation will be celebrating the completion of Neosho’s newest bridge with a ribbon cutting. On September 1st, Coler street bridge will be completed with the ribbon cutting on August 30th. An official says the original bridge was too low which caused flooding concerns, so the new bridge has an arch to mitigate the issue. The ribbon cutting on August 30th will be held at 10:00 a.m.

NEOSHO, Mo. – Murals are something drivers will almost always stop to look at. Neosho offers this form of art on their pavilion. The murals symbolize activities in Big Spring park.

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT: Cassville school district is bringing back a method of punishment many may not have seen for a while: spanking. According to the district’s website, “swatting buttocks with a paddle” will be administered when all other forms of discipline have failed. Some parents agree with the decision, some do not. What about you? Would you allow a school official to spank your child? We want to hear from you! Head over to the Instapoll section of our website and vote now.

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Fatal crash in Delaware County, name not yet released

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Okla. – Troopers investigate a single-vehicle crash in Delaware County, Oklahoma.

It happened this morning, July 29, 2021, around 7:00 a.m. southwest of Jay at 488 Road near 484 Road.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, a Chevy Malibu was “traveling at a high rate of speed,” went off the right side of the road, and hit a tree.

The driver died at the scene. Authorities are not releasing their name until they notify the next of kin.

Authorities are still investigating the crash. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt.

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4 killed in three separate Four-State wrecks

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OTTAWA COUNTY, Okla. – A total of four people are dead in three separate wrecks in the Four-State area.

The first wreck happened Monday around 11:41 a.m. in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. Police say 48-year-old Douglas Goodner of Skiatook, Oklahoma and his passenger, 59-year-old William McWhit of Sand Springs, Oklahoma died in a wreck with another vehicle on 220 Road north of Afton, Oklahoma. EMS crews transported a second passenger to the hospital in fair condition. The driver of the other vehicle refused treatment. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

A second wreck occurred Monday at 2:49 p.m. in Delaware County, Oklahoma. Police say a vehicle driven by 68-year-old Terrill Lewis Parvin of Kansas, Oklahoma failed to negotiate a curve on OK-10 near Hidden Valley Road. His vehicle ran off the road and down an embankment. Police say Parvin died after being ejected from the vehicle.

Finally in Linn County, Kansas, a wreck took the life of a Mound City, Kansas man. According to Kansas Highway Patrol, Aren Goodall was traveling east on 300 Road Sunday evening when his tire dropped off the road. The vehicle overcorrected and overturned. Goodall was pronounced dead at the scene.

COPYRIGHT 2021 BY KOAM NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Both Oklahoma murder suspects back in custody

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Okla. – Authorities arrest James Buzzard, the second murder suspect recently released from jail in northeast Oklahoma.

Law enforcement officers arrested James on March 31, a day after they arrested his son, Dakota, the other murder suspect. (Read more: US Marshals arrest 1 of 2 murder suspects in Oklahoma)

In 2019, county prosecutors filed murder charges against both men. Authorities say the father and son fatally shot Jerry Tapp at a home near Grove, Oklahoma.

The two men were sitting in jail until March 19, 2021, when the county released them. Why were they released? Neither federal or tribal prosecution re-filed paperwork after a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction. (Read more in previous article: Marshals search for recently released Oklahoma murder suspects)

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says at that point, the jail had no legal authority to keep the men.

But the Cherokee Attorney General’s office was contacted the next day, Saturday, March 20, and they re-filed charges on Monday.

The Alleged Crime

On August 1st, 2019, Deputies responded to a home at 32501 S 685 Road in Delaware County, Oklahoma (near Grove). They arrived and found Jerry Tapp, 49, dead in the front yard from multiple gunshot wounds. His live-in girlfriend, Cassie Tennison, 32, had a non-life-threatening gunshot to the right wrist. She made the 911 call for help. Medical personnel treated and released her.

On August 2nd, authorities got felony warrants for two people.

Officials charged Dakota Buzzard, 18, of Grove, with first degree murder and attempted murder.

They charged James Buzzard, 46, of Grove, with accessory to murder.

Officers say the shooting appeared to be retaliation for a shooting incident in June of 2015 where Jerry Tapp fired a shotgun into a vehicle occupied by James Buzzard and an 11-year-old girl. The child received a non-life-threatening gunshot wound as a result of this incident.

US Marshals arrest 1 of 2 murder suspects in Oklahoma

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Okla. – The U.S. Marshals arrest one of two murder suspects recently released from jail.

A task force arrested Dakota Buzzard in the Grove, Oklahoma area today, March 30, 2021. Authorities are still looking for his father, James Buzzard.

In 2019, county prosecutors filed murder charges against both men. Authorities say the father and son fatally shot Jerry Tapp at a home near Grove, Oklahoma.

The two men were sitting in jail until March 19, 2021, when the county released them. Why were they released? Neither federal or tribal prosecution re-filed paperwork after a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction. (Read more in previous article: Marshals search for recently released Oklahoma murder suspects)

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says because no new paperwork was filed, the jail had no legal authority to keep the men.

But the Cherokee Attorney General’s office was contacted the next day, Saturday, March 20, and they re-filed charges on Monday.

The U.S. Marshals say the men have connections in the Grove area as well as in Galena, Kansas. Authorities consider Buzzard armed and dangerous.

If you have information about where James Buzzard is, contact U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.

On August 1st, Deputies responded to a home at 32501 S 685 Road in Delaware County, Oklahoma (near Grove). They arrived and found Jerry Tapp, 49, dead in the front yard from multiple gunshot wounds. His live-in girlfriend, Cassie Tennison, 32, had a non-life-threatening gunshot to the right wrist. She made the 911 call for help. Medical personnel treated and released her.

On August 2nd, authorities got felony warrants for two people.

Officials charged Dakota Buzzard, 18, of Grove, with first degree murder and attempted murder.

They charged James Buzzard, 46, of Grove, with accessory to murder. James is reportedly the father of Dakota.

Officers say the shooting appeared to be retaliation for a shooting incident in June of 2015 where Jerry Tapp fired a shotgun into a vehicle occupied by James Buzzard and an 11-year-old girl. The child received a non-life-threatening gunshot wound as a result of this incident.

Marshals search for recently released Oklahoma murder suspects

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DELAWARE COUNTY, Okla. – U.S. Marshals search for two murder suspects recently released from jail in northeast Oklahoma. Authorities consider them armed and dangerous.

In 2019, county prosecutors filed murder charges against James and Dakota Buzzard. Authorities say the father and son fatally shot Jerry Tapp at a home near Grove, Oklahoma.

The two men were sitting in jail until last Friday, March 19, 2021. Why did authorities release them? Because no courts filed new paperwork after a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction.

Last year’s 5-4 court decision means that Oklahoma prosecutors lack the authority to pursue criminal cases against American Indian defendants in parts of Oklahoma (Read more on ruling and local reaction).

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office says after the ruling, neither federal nor tribal courts filed new paperwork on the suspects. The Delaware County jail had no legal authority to keep the men.

But now, new paper work has been filed. The District Court of The Cherokee Nation Criminal Division issued first degree murder warrants for both men.

The U.S. Marshals say the men have connections in the Grove area as well as in Galena, Kansas. Authorities consider them armed and dangerous.

If you have information about where they are, contact U.S. Marshals at 1-877-WANTED2 or USMS Tips at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.

The 2019 Murder

On August 1st, Deputies responded to a home at 32501 S 685 Road in Delaware County, Oklahoma (near Grove). They arrived and found Jerry Tapp, 49, dead in the front yard from multiple gunshot wounds. His live-in girlfriend, Cassie Tennison, 32, had a non-life-threatening gunshot to the right wrist. She made the 911 call for help. Medical personnel treated and released her.

On August 2nd, authorities got felony warrants for two people.

Officials charged Dakota Buzzard, 18, of Grove, with first degree murder and attempted murder.

They charged James Buzzard, 46, of Grove, with accessory to murder. James is reportedly the father of Dakota.

Officers say the shooting appeared to be retaliation for a shooting incident in June of 2015 where Jerry Tapp fired a shotgun into a vehicle occupied by James Buzzard and an 11-year-old girl. The child received a non-life-threatening gunshot wound as a result of this incident.

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