From The Pages Of The Ponca City News, Monday, March
1, 1998
LOCAL
Crime Statistics Increase Due To Enforcement Effort
Three Escape Fire Early Sunday
Nearly News
New Health Care Scholarship Offered
Po-Hi Graduate To Give Recital
Citian's Brother Dies
DEATHS
Callie Mae DeVilbiss
Services Pending
Leonard Sheik
Adah Faubion
Funerals
Fern Adeline Popp
NEWS BRIEFS
LIFESTYLES
Bliss Homemakers Plan Progressive Dinner Meeting
SPORTS
Monday Evening Quarterback
Wildcat Swimmers Overcome at State
Lady Mavs Not Quite In Playoffs
By Patti Pfeiffer
News Staff Writer
It was a busier crime year than normal in Ponca City as the Police Department experienced a 52 percent increase in arrests in 1997. The figures are included in the recently released 1997 Ponca City crime report, prepared by the police department.
At 3,401, the arrest total was the largest amount in a 5-year period. In comparison, Stillwater - with a larger population of 38,500 (including Oklahoma State University Students) - had only 1,932 arrests last year.
Clayton Johnson, assistant chief of police, attributed the increase in arrests to a new "emphasis program" aimed at serving outstanding arrests warrants. According to Johnson, approximately 400 of the 3,400 arrests in 1997 were warrant arrests. However, that only accounts for 12 percent of the total number of arrests last year.
It was not just arrests that increased last year. The number of calls, the number of incidents and the dollar value of stolen property also increased while there was an increase in all but two of the seven most serious crimes.
The biggest increase in crime occurred in motor vehicle thefts which almost doubled in 1997. Last year 140 vehicles were stolen in Ponca City while in the previous year there were only 76 motor vehicle thefts. This increase accounted for approximately a half-million-dollar increase in the value of stolen property.
In 1996 the value of stolen property totaled $880,000. Last year that number increased to $1.3 million. All but $6,000 of the increase was due to vehicle thefts.
"This is a horrible rate," Johnson said. "By far the majority of these thefts are committed by the same juveniles, the ones with prior criminal records and the ones we see over and over again."
Last year there were also 68 more breaking and entering cases and 41 more assaults. The increase in assaults Johnson attributes to newly enacted laws which makes it easier for an officer to arrest an assault suspect.
"This number will continue to increase," Johnson said. "The new law has made a significant difference in assault arrests."
In 1996 there was not a homicide while in 1997 there was one and it was solved.
Juvenile crime was up more than 16 percent from the previous year with 37 more reported juvenile assaults and 22 more juvenile motor vehicle thefts. "The problem with juveniles is that we can not jail them and therefore there is no significant barrier to keep them from doing it again," Johnson said. "Once they are picked up for a crime they are merely released to their parents or taken to a youth shelter."
The Juvenile Court was established to reduce juvenile crime in Ponca City. "The juvenile court handles only the minor cases which before would simply fall through the cracks and weren't dealt with," Johnson said. "This court allows a juvenile to experience the court system and hopefully deters them."
In 1997 there were 705 juveniles that appeared in the juvenile court, up from 322 in 1996.
There were also several "fewer" categories, mostly traffic-related. At 7,466 there were 153 less traffic citations written in 1997 and 429 fewer warning tickets issued. The number of traffic accidents the department "worked" decreased by 96 to a total of 517 and there were no fatality accidents last year.
It was, according to the report, the "strict enforcement of moving violations" that led to the reduction of accidents in 1997.
There were also 12 less rapes and 9 less larceny cases in 1997.
The average police response time remained almost the same decreasing only a fraction in 1997 - from 3.6 minutes in 1996 to 3.5 minutes in 1997.
Last year the Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program taught over 1,700 students in 12 area elementary schools the importance of and how to "just say no to drugs."
Both police officers and employees of the department received over 5,400 hours of training last year - almost double the amount in 1996.
The Animal Control Center picked up over 2,300 animals in 1997, up over 150 animals from the previous year. However, 506 dogs and 77 cats were adopted last year.
The Ponca City Police Department cleared 81 percent of its cases.
An early morning house fire Sunday has left a mother and two children without a home. According to Ponca City Fire Department Training Officer Gary Reed the house at 300 West Hartford Avenue was completely "gutted" by the 1:24 a.m. fire.
The occupants, a mother and her two young children, escaped the blaze and injuries by jumping out of a window. However, the three were later taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center where they were examined by a doctor.
All units responded to the call and firefighters had the fire extinguished within 30 minutes.
OOPS! Nicole Tureaud was accidentally left off the cutline in Sunday's lifestyles picture of Native American Month Poster Contest Winners. She was pictured on the front row.
A new scholarship is available to Kay County high school seniors who are planning a career in health care.
The St. Joseph Medical Foundation Inc., Auxiliary Scholarship Fund was established to commemorate the SJRMC Auxiliary for its 40 years of community service and to provide financial incentive to an area high school senior pursuing a health care career.
Each year, a $1,000 non-renewable award will be presented to the recipient selected.
Applications for this scholarship are available through the high school guidance offices or through St. Joseph Regional Medical Center's foundation office.
Deadline for application is March 31 and the recipient will be recognized at his/her high school awards program.
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The division of music of the Bernice Young Jones School of Fine Arts at Ouachita Baptist University will present Kristin Maddox, a vocal performance and choral education major from Ponca City, in a Junior Voice Recital on March 6 at 11 a.m. in McBeth Recital Hall of Mabee Fine Arts Center.
Maddox is the student of Mary Shambarger, the Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music. She will be accompanied by Erica McClellan, adjunct instructor of music.
At Ouachita, Maddox is a member of Ouachita Singers, Praise Singers, Sigma Alpha Iota national honorary music fraternity and was a Tiger Tunes Hostess.
A Po-Hi graduate, her parents are John and Sharon Maddox, Ponca City.
Word has been received here of the unexpected death of L.H. Tunnell at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, on Sunday.
Tunnell, the brother of Peggy Keith, 2500 North Fifth, a former News
employee, was 75. He had visited in Ponca City with his sister on numerous
occasions, and will be remembered by many Ponca Citians.
DEATHS
Callie, 84, went to her heavenly home, Feb. 26, 1998. She had been a resident of Shawn Manor in Ponca City for two years, previously living in the Marland area for 60 years.
Callie was preceded in death by her husband Wiley and two sons. She is survived by one son, Glen and wife Faye of Farmington, N.M., eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Also surviving are two sisters, Dorothy Foote of Tucumcari, N.M., and Ina Hodge of Tennessee; two sisters-in-law, Velma Bilyeu of Stillwater, and Maxine DeVilbiss of Alaska; one brother-in-law, Leslie DeVilbiss and wife Thelma of Perry; special friends, Francis and Lottie Long of Wichita; and several nieces and nephews.
Callie was and author of short stories, songs and poems of which four volumes are in print with the fifth to be out this month. She will be missed by her loved ones, friends and all those she touched.
A graveside service will be held Tuesday, March 3, 1998, at 2 p.m. at Grace Hill Cemetery in Perry under the direction of the Trout Funeral Home.
Paid Obituary
NEWKIRK - Leonard Sheik, longtime Newkirk area resident, died at the home of his granddaughter in Ponca City, early this morning, March 2, 1998. He was 73.
Arrangements are pending with Miller-Stahl Funeral Service, Newkirk.
Adah Faubion, longtime Ponca City resident, died early this morning, March 2, 1998, at the home of her son, Perry Ealick. She was 82.
Arrangements are pending with Trout Funeral Home.
Tuesday
Fern Adeline Popp - Funeral will be at 10 a.m. in the Trinity Lutheran
Church in Blackwell. Burial will be in the Blackwell Cemetery under the
direction of Roberts Funeral Home, Blackwell.
NEWS BRIEFS
Grass Fire - At 9:52 a.m. Saturday fire units responded to a reported grass fire in the 200 block of North Union Street. The fire was extinguished.
Pole Dispute - Police were notified of a fishing pole dispute at 10:34 a.m. Saturday from a man in the 500 block of West Grand Avenue.
Accident - An non-injury accident in the 400 block of West Grand Avenue was reported at 11:19 a.m. Saturday. An officer was assigned.
Arrest - A 23-year-old man was arrested at 11:54 a.m. Saturday from Gary Avenue and Union Street for driving under suspension and on a Garfield County warrant.
Arrest - Police arrested a 29-year-old man from Prospect Avenue and Turner Street at 12:50 p.m. Saturday for driving under restriction.
B.B. Gun Shot - At 5:11 p.m. Saturday police were notified of juveniles shooting B.B. guns in the 3200 block of Turner Street. An officer was assigned.
Juvenile Apprehended - At 5:13 p.m. Saturday a juvenile shoplifter was taken into custody at Save-A-Trip, 501 West Highland Avenue, for shoplifting. He was released to his parents.
Arrest - A 40-year-old man was arrested at 8:40 p.m. Saturday from Eleventh Street and South Avenue for driving under suspension, no insurance and no seat belt.
Bull Injury - An ambulance was requested at 8:42 p.m. Saturday at the Circle C Arena for a bull rider that had been hit in the head by a bull. He was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.
Gas Drive-Off - An employee of E-Z Mart, 2225 North Fourteenth Street, called police at 8:54 p.m. to a report a $13 gas drive-off.
Windshield Broken - At 9:06 p.m. Saturday a woman in the 2200 block of North Fourteenth Street reported her windshield had been broken. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.
Box Street - A motorist called police at 10:10 p.m. Saturday to report a large box in the street at Foster Avenue and Osage Street. An officer was assigned and moved it.
Arrest - Police arrested a 21-year-old man at 11:02 p.m. Saturday from Oklahoma Avenue and Thirteenth Street for driving under suspension, transporting an open container and no insurance.
Assault Injures - At 11:23 p.m. Saturday a woman was taken by ambulance from the Ponca City jail to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center after a booking officer reported a female with injures from an assault.
Arrest - Police arrested a 39-year-old man at 11:37 p.m. Saturday from First Street and Ponca Avenue for driving under the influence and running a red light.
Arrest - A 37-year-old man was arrested at 12:11 a.m. Sunday from Hartford Avenue and Union Street for driving under the influence and driving left of center.
Arrest - At 1:30 a.m. Sunday a 23-year-old man was arrested for petit larceny from the Triple T, 425 West Fourteenth Street, after stealing two 30-packs of beer, running and then being caught by a customer.
Arrest - A 21-year-old man was arrested at 1:58 a.m. Sunday from the 300 block of West Hartford Avenue for driving under the influence and crossing a fire hose.
Arrest - A 27-year-old woman was arrested at 2:52 a.m. Sunday from the 300 block of West Hartford Avenue for domestic assault and battery.
Arrest - Police arrested a 49-year-old man at 10:08 p.m. Sunday from the 2000 block of North Fourteenth Street on a city warrant for failure to pay and three Kay County warrants.
Vehicle Damage - At 12:26 p.m. Sunday a Newkirk man called police to report damage to his vehicle and also to advise them that a "devil worship" booklet had been left on his vehicle while he was attending church service in Ponca City. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.
Vehicle Vandalism - At 1:39 p.m. Sunday a man in the 2200 block of North Fourteenth Street reported vandalism to his vehicle. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.
Vehicle Vandalism - A woman called police at 1:50 p.m. Sunday to report vandalism to her vehicle while it was parked in the 2400 block of North Fourteenth Street. An officer was assigned and a report was taken.
Arrest - Police arrested a 36-year-old man at 2:41 p.m. Sunday from Hastings, 2101 North Fourteenth Street, for shoplifting.
Break-In - At 3:55 p.m. Sunday police were advised that a juvenile had broken into the Central Baptist Church, 618 East Hartford Avenue. An officer was assigned.
Vehicle Vandalism - At 7:15 p.m. Sunday a man in the 2200 block of North Fourteenth Street called police to report that the tires on his vehicle had been "slashed." An officer was assigned and a report was taken.
Cigarettes Stolen - A clerk at Save-A-Trip, 501 West Highland Avenue, called police at 8:13 p.m. Sunday to report the theft of cigarettes. A report was taken.
Juvenile Arrest - A 13-year-old boy was arrested at 8:17 p.m. Sunday from the 1700 block of West Highland Avenue for burglary. He was released to his parents.
Bon Fire - At 8:48 p.m. Sunday a resident in the 500 block of North Third Street called police to report a bonfire in a neighbor's backyard. An officer was assigned and a warnings were issued.
Concert Tuesday - The Ponca City The Ponca City Area Chamber Orchestra
and Northern Oklahoma College will present a choral concert at 8 p.m. Tuesday
at the Poncan Theatre. The Ponca Area Chamber Chorus will be featured. Catherine
Byard will conduct.
LIFESTYLES
The Bliss Homemakers met Feb. 18 at the Methodist Church in Marland with Susan Wilkerson as hostess. Roll call was answered by 21 members and one guest with a "favorite fabric and it's care." Pat Sikes read the minutes and Arleta Pulliam gave the treasurer's report.
Announcement was made that books and cards would be given to the families of new babies. Catherine Robinson reported on the District meeting to be held March 12 at Frontier School and Melanie Williams reported on the results of the spelling bee.
Denise Kienholz reported 40 tooth fairy pillows had been given to kindergartners at Frontier School. Members discussed the 4-H concession stand at the Livestock show and Shellene Turnipseed was asked to contact the Marland city office about planting wildflowers on a city lot.
Patsy Smithheisler gave the lesson on fabrics. Susan Wilkerson won the
hostess gift and Burdettya Linn won the Red Rooster gift. Announcement was
made of a progressive dinner for the March 18 meeting. Linda Short and Melanie
Williams will be in charge of the treasure hunt.
SPORTS
By FRED HILTON
News Sports Editor
Thoughts while driving north on I-35 from the state wrestling championships while in along line of cars with Kay County license plates:
Does any Oklahoma county - outside the metro areas - have four teams among the top 10 wrestling teams in the state?
Newkirk and Tonkawa finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Class 2A tournament. Blackwell was third in Class 3A and Ponca City was ninth in Class 5A.
The four teams placed a total of 17 wrestlers in those three classes. They had nine finalists, crowning four champions.
"This area has been noted for its wrestling almost for ever." Ponca City coach Pat Young said, " and that hasn't changed. In an area like this, kids have grown up around wrestling and they continue the tradition.
"Kay County has always been well represented."
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Most of the time coaches have a harder time dealing with disappointment than do the kids involved.
Even on Sunday night Young was still feeling the effects of the controversial loss by Wildcat 130 pounder Matt Dodgen in the championship finals shortly after brother Mark had won at 125 pounds.
"After one wins a championship you expect the other one to do so, also." Young said. "You want both of the to have a state title. it's a big disappointment."
Mark won his second state crown by defeating Jeff Wilson of Midwest City - a wrestler he had lost to three times this season including in the regional finals.
Matt met Brian Elgin of Muskogee in the 130-pound final. Mark had won two of the three previous meetings with Elgin.
Matt was more direct than his coach in his thoughts on the match.
"I was robbed," he said of a couple of disputed calls during the late stages of the match that gave the Rougher an 8-6 win.
"But things like that happen, you have forget about it and go on."
Going on for the Dodgen twins means wrestling at the college level next.
A number of schools have expressed interest in the pair. The latest is Central State University.
Matt said he and Mark plan to visit the Edmond campus soon.
But wherever they go, it will be together.
"We're a package deal," Matt said. "There's never been any thought of splitting up."
Despite their success in high school - three state titles between them - the brothers know it will take a lot of hard work to wrestle in college."We know it will be tougher at the college level," Matt said. "It's a whole different ball game. We're going to toughen up and be ready."
The Wildcat wrestlers will be honored at the annual Takedown Club Banquet Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. in the high school cafeteria.
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For much of the Class 2A tournament at Lloyd Noble Arena, Newkirk and Tonkawa challenged for the team title.
It wasn't until the next to last match of the night on the 2A mat was finished that the order of finish was finalized.
Perry won the 2A crown - its 27th title overall - with 84 points while Tuttle had 80, Newkirk 74.5 and Tonkawa 65.5.
"It was a gutsy performance by the team," Newkirk coach Gene Bennett, whose team placed five of eight qualifiers - including champions Brandon Parker at 103 pounds and Jeff Schieber at 157.
Some of the performances were more gutsy than others.
Tigers' 140 pounder Cody Jones got out of the hospital Saturday morning, after being injured in the semifinals Friday night, to compete and take fourth place.
"Cody tore some cartilage away from his sternum," Bennett reported. "He lost (to Tonkawa's Chris Kohn) in the consolation finals. But he had trouble with his chest hurting. He couldn't sit up in that last match."
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Marlow returned to the top of Class 3A, winning the state title with 105 points. Bristow finished with 71 and Blackwell 70.5.
As expected Broken Arrow won the Class 5A title, but the Tigers had to come on strong in the finals Saturday to beat out Choctaw 111.5 to 92. Del City finished with 83 points, Midwest City 71, Norman 66.5, Mustang 57.5, Tahlequah 4 3, Westmoore 42.5, Ponca City 34 and Muskogee 32 to round out the top 10.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Despite an auspicious beginning, the Po-Hi swimmers finished their season with a strong showing at the State Swimming Championships Friday and Saturday. The Lady Cats placed 12th in a field of 24 teams, while the boys finished 15th out of 24 teams.
Stillwater won the girls' title, while Jenks took the boys'.
On Friday, the Wildcat swimmers had two relays disqualified, both of which had posted times fast enough to make the finals.
"Not having those two relays cost us about 36-40 points," said Wildcat coach Dave Strah. "That alone could have moved the boys up to 12th place."
Fortunately, the Poncans' luck took a turn for the better after that. Sophomore Rory Peterson placed sixth and fourth in the 200 and 500 free, respectively, after the preliminaries, and finished fifth and fourth in those two events in the finals, Saturday.
DJ Nuzum also made the finals on Friday in the 500 free, qualifying 14th, and bettered that standing by one mark on Saturday, finishing 13th.
Also, the boys' 400 free relay team of Peterson, Chris Kana, Nuzum, and Greg Dunham, posted the fastest time in that event of any Po-Hi relay team since 1985, coming in at 3:30.00.
For the Lady Cats, three relays qualified for the finals. First, the 200 medley relay team of Jessica Leung, Sunita Chahar, Megan Tomek, and Carol Stauffer placed seventh in the preliminaries and finished sixth in the finals. Andra Nuzum, Melissa Alcantra, Stauffer and Leung qualified for the finals in the 400 free relay at 13th place on Friday, and moved up two spots, to 11th, on Saturday. Finally, the 200 free relay team of Chahar, Leung, Nuzum and Tomek qualified at sixth place and moved up to fifth place in the finals.
Chahar was the only girl to make it to the finals in an individual event, finishing 16th in the 100 breast.
"The relays from our girls made a statement over the weekend," said Strah. "We just need to get more kids in the individual events to crack the top 10."
Finally, a year of hard work by diving coach Christie Hill and first year diver Eric Chambray paid dividends on Saturday. After falling to seventh place in the preliminaries, Chambray put together three great dives to push into fifth spot.
For awhile, at least, the NOC Lady Mavericks thought they had a lock on a Region II tournament berth.
After winless Rose State defeated Western on Thursday, the 4-6 Lady Mavs - though losing their final regular season game to Seminole - slipped into the final tournament spot, set to begin Thursday at the Noble Complex in Shawnee.
Or so they thought. Actually, the Lady Mavs must play Shorter, Ark., tonight in Tonkawa, with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m. The winner of that matchup moves on to the first round of the Region II tournament, taking on nationally ranked Connors State, Friday.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, after claiming the Bi-State West crown on Thursday,
take on Westark, Saturday, at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Region II
tournament.