What follows is a run-down on some of the numerous "sex crimes" which have caused us at Bubbaworld to wonder if Delaware County is not the Sex Crimes Capitol of Oklahoma.
On 18 August, 2000 Delaware County Sheriff's deputies arrested Susan Skinner and her boyfriend, Daniel Fred Moon. The two were arrested on child abuse charges after Skinner allowed Moon to use a home-style method of pen and ink to apply a tattoo to the body of Skinner's 12 year old daughter. You see in Oklahoma it is illegal to apply a tattoo to a human being. While you may or may not agree with the wisdom of such a law, few would go along with the idea that it was a good thing for a woman's boyfriend to apply such a tattoo to the genitalia of a 12- year-old girl, as a birthday present. Yep, you read that correctly.
On 31 August, 2000 the Tulsa World in a report titled "Couple charged with tattooing girl's genitalia" broke the news of one of the most outlandish examples of idiocy out of Delaware County. This news report went on to reveal that Skinner was being held in lieu of $20,000 bail. Moon's bail was set at $26,000 and that both were in custody in the Delaware County Jail.
The report also revealed that Moon also faced a charge of felon in possession of a firearm and that Moon had told sheriff's investigators that he tattooed a rose on the girl as a birthday present while the mother watched. In addition the report revealed that the girl had been placed with a family member out of state.
An interesting side note to this case appeared in a Tulsa World report dated 8 September, 2000, a report titled "Delaware County prisoners riot; courthouse cleared". According to this report:
Loss of TV and Twinkie privileges was blamed for the
outbreak, the second in two months.
JAY -- Delaware County prisoners felt cheated Thursday when
they didn't get their Twinkies, so they rioted and tried
to burn the jail, forcing the evacuation of the
courthouse
Sheriff's investigator Mike Wilkerson said 12 prisoners in Cellblock B were mad because they had been stripped of their privileges -- Twinkies and television.
The report went on to indicate that one of the prisoners participating in "The Great Twinkie Riot" was none other than, you guessed it, Daniel Fred Moon
On 11 October, 2000 the Tulsa World in a report titled "Couple guilty in tattooing 12-year-old's genitalia" revealed that Moon had pled guilty and received a ten year sentence. Skinner also pled guilty and received a five-year deferred sentence with supervised probation and was ordered to seek psychiatric care. The report also indicated that Skinner's minor son had been taken into the custody of the Department of Human Services. The tattooed daughter would continue to live with relatives out of state. This subsequent report did not make mention of Moon's participation in "The Great Twinkie Riot".
In the same report referenced above, it was also revealed that the Delaware County trial for Grove businessman Mike Roberts had begun. Mr. Roberts had been charged with indecent exposure earlier. According to the Tulsa World report:
A 17-year-old Sonic carhop testified that at around 2:30 p.m. she handed Roberts his food order and, while she was making change, she noticed that he had exposed himself.
Grove Detective Mark Sheridan testified that when he questioned Roberts at the police station, Roberts denied exposing himself to the girl. However, when Sheridan asked Roberts if his penis was out when the girl gave him his food order, Sheridan testified that Roberts said, "If it was out, I didn't know it."
Mr. Roberts contention of "If it was out, I didn't know it." evidently swayed the Delaware County jury, as they found him NOT GUILTY and sent him on his way. Whether or not he immediately headed back to the "Sonic" is anyone's guess.
We here at Bubbaworld are still trying to determine how any man could have his penis hanging out and not know it. We've decided that further research at the Sonic in Grove, Oklahoma may be required.
I know, I know. That sounds like a TV pitchman but none the less it's true. In that SAME REPORT came the following additional news from Delaware County, Oklahoma:
Man accused of child molesting turns self in
JAY -- A 33-year-old Delaware County man, charged with lewd
acts to a child, surrendered to the sheriff's office
Tuesday.
Charles Lehn Martinez is accused of having sexual contact
with a 15-year-old girl in 1998, authorities said. Charges
were filed Friday and an arrest warrant was issued.
Martinez' bail was set at $25,000 and he is due for a
court appearance Nov. 30, authorities said.
Martinez allegedly touched the private parts of the girl,
officials said.
Now what's the odds of THREE such news items being referenced in THE SAME news report in your home town or county? Chances are that if you lived in what the regulars of the Usenet news group ok.general refer to as "The Civilized States" you would never hear of such a thing. This would especially be the case if you lived in a county with a population of less than 38,000 people!
The sad truth about Delaware County, Oklahoma is that crimes of this nature happen far, far more frequently that should or would be expected in what proudly and loudly refers to itself as "A Christian State". Don't believe us? Then follow along as we provide a few more of the many examples of the "Sodom and Gomorrah Mentality" which evidently afflicts a significant portion of Delaware County residents.
On 2/20/2001 in a report titled "Trial ordered in Jay in molestation case" the Tulsa World reported:
JAY -- A 34-year-old Delaware County man accused of
molesting a young relative for more than seven years must
stand trial.
Michael Ray Draleaus of Colcord was bound over after the
relative, a 15-year-old girl, testified that he had been
molesting her since she was 8.
While most folks are shocked, disgusted and dismayed by news of such conduct it evidently doesn't alarm Delaware County Judges, for in a follow up report in the Tulsa World, dated 5/19/2001 and titled "Pair enter guilty pleas in separate sex cases" it was reported:
JAY -- Two sex offenders pleaded guilty Friday in
Delaware County District Court to lewd molestation of a child
in separate cases, authorities said.
Both Michael Ray Draleaus and John Wayne Russell were handed
20-year terms with 19 years suspended. Draleaus and Russell
will serve one year each in the Delaware County Jail and be
on supervised probation, authorities said.
Assistant District Attorney Kathy Baker said both men will
be on supervised probation according to the strict guidelines
for sexual offenders in the state.
Draleaus had been incarcerated in Delaware County in lieu of
$500,000 bail since his Jan. 5 arrest after a female relative
told a Colcord police officer that he had been molesting her
since she was 8.
Baker said Russell was charged with four counts of lewd
molestation for an attack on a 10-year-old neighbor girl.
All we here at Bubbaworld can say in regards to such "justice" is thank goodness that our state has such "strict guidelines", otherwise the Judge may have given each of these criminals a new SUV, a cabin on the lake and an endless supply of children to molest. Come to think of it, the Judge practically gave them that last item.
On 7/18/2002, the Tulsa World in a report titled, "Delaware County escapee captured", reported that, did you guess it? Surprise, surprise - Michael Draleaus, a convicted child molester was the first escapee from the new Delaware County jail and that he had been caught 13 hours after his escape. He was arrested in Tulsa at the home of his "girl friend".
Quoting from the referenced report:
Draleaus was taken into custody at 5:05 p.m. after Delaware County authorities tracked him to his girlfriend's home in Tulsa. Woodruff said Draleaus, who was taken by force, is facing charges in Delaware and Tulsa counties in connection with the escape.
The 34-year-old Colcord man had received a 10-year suspended sentence for molestation and a five-year suspended sentence on the illegal drug charge.
Woodruff said Draleaus served one year in the county jail on both sentences and was released on supervised probation. He was rearrested last month for violating his probation by contacting the girl's family, authorities said.
The editor of Bubbaworld received an e-mail commentary on the Michael Ray Draleaus case which offered some background information on the man and the circumstances of his case. The writer asked that their identity not be revealed and we at Bubbaworld are complying with their wishes. You may read this un-edited e-mail by Clicking Here
During the early morning hours of 29 August, 2002 Michael Draleaus hung himself in the shower room of the Delaware County Jail. News media reports indicated that Draleaus was supposed to be taking a shower in preparation for being transported to prison.
According to news media reports, Draleaus fashioned a rope from the outside lining of his blanket and hung himself from a hook in the shower room wall. Inmates notified jailers Draleaus was attempting to hang himself. When jailers cut him down he was found to still have a pulse. Both jailers and inmates performed CPR in an attempt to save his life. Draleaus died in an ambulance in route to an Arkansas hospital.
News reports quoted Delaware County Sheriff Lenden Woodruff as stating that Draleaus had not demonstrated any suicidal tendencies but left behind a suicide note to his children. That note indicated he was afraid to go to prison.
Least anyone get the idea that Delaware County is lenient on crime, we offer the following:
On 3/29/2001 the Tulsa World carried a report titled "Man gets life plus 70 years in rape case". The "tough" side of justice in Delaware County was revealed as follows:
JAY -- A Delaware County jury deliberated for 20
minutes Wednesday before convicting Robert "Shiloh"
Martin of first-degree rape and sentencing him to life plus
70 years in prison.
Martin, 20, was found guilty of first-degree rape, armed
robbery and burglary for his attack on a 45-year-old woman
who was asleep in her bed in her home in Flint Ridge, a
private development south of Kansas, Okla.
After 10 minutes in the jury room, jurors asked District
Judge Robert Haney about the sentencing guidelines and then
returned with the guilty verdicts. Martin received life for
the rape, 50 years for the armed robbery and 20 years for
burglary.
Prosecutor Kathy Baker, who asked the jury to keep Martin
off the streets, said she believed that the jury acted in the
best interest of the public.
Hopefully someone will get Prosecutor Kathy Baker to explain why it is in the best interest of the public that the two child molestors received only one year in the county jail. A sentence which Baker herself apparently found sufficient, judging from her comments quoted above. Could it be that the Assistant District Attorney of Delaware County considers molesting and raping kids to be not near as serious a matter as raping adults? It would sure appear that way judging from these two cases, the sentences handed down and her reaction to both.
Were these the only sex crimes cases to hit the news wires out of Delaware County it might be possible to consider their occurrence a fluke. However the fact is that these cases, are simply the tip of the iceberg. What follows is a reference to a few of the other sex crimes cases of Delaware County as reported by the Tulsa World:
On 12/19/99, in a report titled "Child porn found in Jay man's home" it was reported:
JAY -- Delaware County deputies discovered videotaped
child pornography in the home of a 56-year-old Jay man
Thursday night, authorities said.
Sheriff Jim Earp said a Department of Human Services
investigation resulted in a search warrant being obtained for
the residence of Melvin Goddard. Videocassettes, surveillance
equipment and computer media equipment were seized at
Goddard's home, the sheriff said.
Goddard has been arrested and charged in Delaware County
with three counts of procuring a minor in sexual activity.
Special District Judge Robert Haney set Goddard's bond at
$3,000. Goddard, who is free on bond, is due back in court
for arraignment on Dec. 22.
A subsequent report, dated 12/24/99 and titled "Child porn suspect rearrested" indicated that when Mr. Goddard appeared for arraignment on the earlier charge that a new charge of "lewd exhibition of a minor" was made and he was rearrested. The news report went on to point out that the man made bail within minutes of his rearrest. The referenced news report contained the following:
Investigators claim to have discovered two pornographic videotapes at Goddard's residence involving sexual activity between him and five minor children, authorities said.
It seems that "low bail" is a normal state of affairs for those accused of the sexual abuse of children in Delaware County. On Mr. Goddard's first arrest bail was set at $3,000. The news report of his second arrest does not indicate the amount of bail but does indicate that he made bail within minutes. It probably took him that long to count his change...
On 2/26/00 a Tulsa World report titled "18-year-old charged in girl's rape; her mom charged, too" it was revealed:
GROVE -- An 18-year-old was charged Friday with the
first-degree rape of his 14-year-old girlfriend, and the
girl's mother was charged with contributing to her abuse,
authorities said.
A Delaware County sheriff's deputy witnessed George
Ashley Potter having sex with the girl Friday morning while
the officer was investigating the theft of a four-wheeler,
authorities said.
The report went on to indicate that Mr. Potter also was charged with child sexual abuse, one count of a crime against nature and one count of grand larceny of an automobile in connection with the theft of the four-wheeler.
The referenced news report also indicated that the girl's 40-year-old mother was charged with two counts of contributing to the abuse of a child and two counts of depravation of a minor. Additionally it was reported that four other children in the home were not attending school on the day of the arrests, so their mother was also charged with four counts of violating the Oklahoma Compulsory Education Law. According to the report the children were removed from the home and placed in the custody of the state Department of Human Services.
On 6/8/00 - Tulsa World, title "Man arrested in molestation case:
JAY -- Delaware County deputies arrested a 34-year-old
Grove man Wednesday in connection with the molestation of a
4-year-old relative, officials said.
David Ruark was arrested at his mobile home north of Grove
on Grand Lake. Sheriff's investigator Mike Shambaugh said
Ruark has been charged with three counts of lewd molestation
of a minor.
On 8/22/00 - Tulsa World, title "Man pleads guilty to rape, abuse charges"
JAY -- A Delaware County man pleaded guilty Monday to
second-degree rape and lewd molestation of a minor.
Clyde Carnes, 47, admitted in court that he had sex with a
15- year-old girl on more than one occasion and touched the
girl's body, making him guilty of lewd molestation of a
minor.
Carnes also pleaded guilty to two counts of domestic abuse
for abusing his wife and daughter.
On 9/13/00 - Tulsa World, title "Authorities in Delaware County say 8-year-old girl raped
JAY -- Delaware County authorities said an 8-year-old
girl was raped and admitted to the Grove Hospital on Monday
for treatment.
Sheriff's Sgt. Heath Linn said the girl was raped late
last week. Linn would not give the details or the seriousness
of the girl's injuries, but he said she was listed in
good condition.
Linn said the girl lives with her mother, a single parent,
in the Grove- Grand Lake area. The girl had to be sedated
before an exam could be conducted, he said.
In spite of extensive search efforts on the part of Bubbaworld there appears to have be no subsequent reports on this case, no charges filed, nothing. If and when additional information is developed on this crime it will be posted here.
On 12/28/00 - Tulsa World, title "$2.75 million bail set in alleged torture case"
JAY -- A 35-year-old Grove man who allegedly tortured
his girlfriend for more than two weeks before she was able to
escape, is being held in the Delaware County Jail on a $2.75
million bond pending felony charges, officials said
Wednesday.
Terry Dale Ramsey was arrested at his rural Grove residence
south of Honey Creek Bridge off U.S. 59 after his 19-year-old
girlfriend was interviewed by Grove police at a local
hospital, authorities said.
The report quoted Assistant District Attorney Katy Baker indicating that Ramsey was being held on counts of first- degree arson, forcible sodomy, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery by use of deadly force and two counts of kidnapping.
The report went on to indicate:
Authorities said the 19-year-old woman said Ramsey had beaten her for more than a week and kept her chained to a bed to keep her from leaving.To which we here at Bubbaworld might only add, "Breaking Is Hard To Do", well at least in Delaware County, Oklahoma.
In a weird twist, even for Delaware County, the Tulsa World in a report titled "Man in jail for abuse now accused of bribery" dated 1/17/01 reported:JAY -- A Delaware County man, who is being held on a
$2.25 million bond after being charged with kidnapping and
sodomy for allegedly holding a Grove woman captive for more
than a week, is now accused of trying to bribe a Delaware
County jailer, authorities said.
Terry Dale Ramsey, 35, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a
charge of bribing an officer. Ramsey allegedly tried to bribe
Delaware County Jailer David Spicer on Jan. 10.
Bond was set at $30,000 on the bribery charge.
In a court affidavit, Spicer said that while he was passing
out medication to the prisoners, Ramsey offered him cash to
let him into another cellblock where Robert Martin was being
held. Spicer said Ramsey intended to harm Martin.
If you recall, Mr. Martin was the fellow charged in the rape and robbery of the 45 year old woman mentioned above. Mr. Ramsey's desire for a bit of vigilante justice seems rather misplaced for a man alleged to have committed the crimes with which Mr. Ramsey was charged. However, we must remember we are dealing with Delaware County, a place where reality is a bit, shall we say, "warped"...
In a follow up report by the Tulsa World on 9/20/01 it was reported that Mr. Ramsey was found guilty on six felony counts after the jury deliberated for less than an hour.
Quoting from that report:
JAY -- A Delaware County jury handed down four life sentences, plus 149 years, to a 35-year-old man who kidnapped and tortured a teenage woman for 10 days just before Christmas.
Ramsey was charged with two counts of kidnapping, two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon, assault and battery with intent to kill and forcible sodomy in connection with a December attack on a then 19-year-old.
On 3/6/01 - Tulsa World, title "$40,000 bail set for man charged with sex crimes"
GROVE -- Bail was set at $40,000 Monday for a Grove man
charged with sexually molesting a female relative during the
past four years, authorities said.
Rex W. DeLamatter, 37, was charged with indecent exposure
and lewd molestation after his arrest Friday night.
Charges of sodomy, rape by instrumentation and introducing
pornographic motion pictures to a minor are also pending,
officials said. DeLamatter was being held at the Delaware
County Jail.
Grove Detective Mark Sheridan said the girl told him that
DeLamatter began molesting her at the age of 9. She's now
13, the detective said.
To which we heathens at Bubbaworld can only add, Evidently "Keeping It In The Family" is some kind of local tradition in Delaware County. Otherwise why would there be so many similar sounding news reports coming from "The Land of the Lawless"?
On 3/16/01 - Tulsa World, title "Jay school accused of strip search"
An alleged incident in which 26 high school boys were
forced to undress is being investigated.
JAY -- School officials are tight-lipped about allegations
that 26 high school boys were forced to undress to their
underwear last month in a search for a missing wallet.
John G. Moyer Jr., attorney for the Jay school system, said
Thursday that reports that the students were stripped naked
or patted down during the search are false.
Moyer said the district is aware of an incident involving
the search of several students and is coordinating an
investigation.
"It was mistake by employees trying to do the right
thing," Moyer said. "There's nothing evil here,
and we're trying to get to the bottom of
it."
While the Jay School System attorney can call it what he likes, to us at Bubbaworld it sounds like the school employees were trying to "get to the bottom" of 26 teenaged boys.
Aren't there laws against strip searching kids?
If not there probably should be, especially when Delaware County is involved...
On 4/4/01 - Tulsa World, title "FBI may want molestation suspect"
JAY -- A Delaware County man who is accused of
supplying mixed drinks to two underage girls and then
molesting one of them is being held in jail while authorities
determine whether he is wanted by the FBI.
Jonathan Marks, 30, was charged on March 27 with one count
of lewd molestation and one count of contributing to the
delinquency of minors after two teenage girls reported the
incident to officials. He is in the Delaware County Jail.
The FBI stopped him from posting $51,000 bail on those
charges on Friday, alleging that he is wanted for mail fraud
in Texas, officials said.
Hopefully 'the feds' will manage to keep Mr. Marks away from children, as we have seen the "justice system" of Delaware County seems more geared toward keeping its resident sex offenders in the county as opposed to their serving hard time at one of the state's numerous prisons.
Then there's this report in the Tulsa World, dated 5/23/01 and titled "Californian arrested on sex charges":
JAY -- A 45-year-old California man wanted in that
state on six counts of lewd molestation was arrested Tuesday
near Afton, authorities said.
John Thomas Reed of Bakersfield was arrested just after
midnight when Delaware County Deputy Scott Graham stopped him
on a highway outside of Afton.
Reed was wanted on a fugitive warrant in connection with
alleged sexual abuse against a child younger than 14,
authorities said. Reed is in the Delaware County Jail
awaiting extradition to Bakersfield. A Delaware County judge
set his bail at $150,000, officials said.
Joe Don Blagg, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office,
said Reed was listed as a registered sex offender in
Bakersfield before the six counts of lewd molestation were
filed.
On 8/11/01, the Tulsa World in a report titled, "Colcord man held on multiple rape counts" revealed that Kelvin Leroy Williamson of Colcord was being held in the Delaware County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail for allegedly raping and improperly touching a 14-year- old female relative over the past five years.
Quoting from that report:
Williamson is facing three counts of rape by
instrumentation, one count of attempted rape and one count of
lewd molestation for allegedly raping and touching the
girl.
In the complaint affidavit, Williamson, during an interview
with a DHS official, reportedly confessed that he had raped
and improperly touched the girl on several occasions during
the five-year period.
In a report titled, "Man gets 100-year term in molestation" the Tulsa World on 10/12/01 reported that Clyde D. Vess, 52 of Grove, Oklahoma had been sentenced to 100 years in prison in connection with six counts of lewd sexual acts with a 15-year-old female relative.
Quoting from the referenced report:
Clyde D. Vess was charged July 3 with four counts of lewd molestation and two counts of indecent exposure. Vess, who has been in the Delaware County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail since his arrest, pleaded guilty to the charges in August.
His wife, Glenda Sue Vess, 39, was charged with one count of child endangerment and pleaded guilty in August. She received a four-year suspended sentence plus a fine.
On 12/21/01 in a report titled, "Molester is given 20-year sentence" the Tulsa World revealed that Jessie Hodge openly wept in court when he was sentenced to prison for 20 years. Hodge was sentenced on one count each of lewd molestation and making a lewd proposal to a minor. His wife Judy Hodge was earlier charged with making a lewd proposal to a minor but that charge had been dropped.
Quoting from the referenced report:
Delaware County deputies arrested the couple after
authorities said the girl told them that while she was
staying at the Hodges' house for three days the couple
gave her methamphetamine.
Jessie Hodge told authorities that he tried to have sex with
the girl in order to get even with his wife.
In a Tulsa World report titled, "Man guilty of molestation" and dated 4/19/2002 it was revealed that James T. Shuey, age 41, of Delaware County had pled guilty to charges of molestation and indecent proposal to a child.
Quoting the referenced report:
According to an affidavit, Shuey said he had touched
the child's genitals more than one time but fewer than
five times when she was 10.
He said he began touching the girl when she was 9.
One of the more complex cases of the sexual abuse of kids in Delaware County was initially reported by the Tulsa World, in a report dated 6/4/2002 and titled, "Neighboring county takes over rape case".
Quoting from that report:
A rape investigation has changed course after Mayes County authorities realized more than a year later that the alleged rapes occurred in Delaware County.
Daniel Thompson, 32, is charged with two counts of first- degree rape in Delaware County for the alleged rapes of two underage girls, authorities said.
Jay authorities were contacted last week by an official with the Mayes County District Attorney's Office about an investigation by the Spavinaw Police Department and the Department of Human Services into the alleged rape of a 16-year-old and her 12-year-old cousin in December 2000.
When the investigation began, authorities believed that the rapes occurred in Spavinaw, but they later discovered that the rapes occurred in Jay, a report shows.
The report said Thompson allegedly drove the two girls and a 15-year-old boy to his residence in Jay, where he had sex with the 16-year-old, who has the mental capacity of a 10- to 12-year-old, while the others watched.
Thompson then allegedly took the 12-year-old girl into the bathroom and had sex with her, records indicate.
On 8/7/2002, the Tulsa World in a report titled, "Spavinaw man free after charges dropped in rape inquiry" reported that Mr. Thompson released from the Delaware County Jail the previous day after prosecutors dropped multiple felony charges against him.
Quoting from that report:
Daniel Thompson, 32, had been accused of raping two underage girls last year, officials said. He was charged June 7 with first-degree rape, first-degree rape by instrumentation, rape by force and fear and two counts of lewd molestation.
Thompson, who was being held in the county jail in lieu of $200,000, was set free, with all five counts dismissed before his preliminary hearing was set to begin, officials said.
Assistant District Attorney Kathy Baker did not return telephone calls seeking comment.
Is it be possible that Delaware County's reputation as a haven for "child molesters" has spread all the way to California? If so it probably will not be long before some enterprising Delaware County resident begins selling "sex tours" of the area and even more Delaware County kids are victimized.
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