Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma City Council Tuesday was set to vote on whether to extend a city-wide mask mandate in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Associated Press reported.
The council will consider extending the mandate was first approved in July and twice has been extended form December 7 to January 22. The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Oklahoma has risen from 1,735 new cases per day November 8 to 2,886 Sunday, based on data form Johns Hopkins University. The 7-day rolling average of daily deaths increased from 13-15 per day during the same time period, according to AP.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health Monday reported 3,544 new cases and 15 additional deaths due to the illness caused by the virus for totals of 177,874 cases and 1,649 deaths since the starts of the pandemic. The true number of infections likely is higher because many people can be infected and not feel sick, AP reported.
The health department also reported 1,495 people hospitalized either with the virus or under investigation for infection, according to AP.
Oklahoma City
Federal prosecutors said three Oklahoma City residents have pleaded guilty for their roles in a scheme in which they used fake documents and fictitious lawyers to take ownership of more than a dozen houses without the knowledge of the homeowners, the Associated Press reported.
Laura Johnson, 45; Thomas Johnson, Sr., 52; and Cheryl Ashley, 70; are accused of using fraudulent warranty deeds to transfer properties into the names of fictitious companies and individuals. The scheme also included fraudulent confidential stamp tax affidavits and fake mortgages, all of which contained forgery notary signatures and seals, according to AP.
One home was targeted and had belonged to a woman who died in 2012, the defendants forged a power of attorney to try and withdraw money from her account. When that failed, they then used forged checks and filed a false will to try and gain control of the bank account, AP reported.
Last week, each of the defendants pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. When sentenced in about 90 days, Thomas Johnson and Ashley each face up to 5 years in prison while Laura Johnson faces up to 30 years in prison, according to AP.
Statewide
Efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Oklahoma are “too little, too late” and hospitalizations in the state likely are to continue rising, a University of Oklahoma Medical Center doctor said Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Dr. Dale Bratzler said anything to mitigate the virus’ spread helps, but it will take 2-3 weeks for restrictions to reduce infections, and hospitalizations likely will reach 2,000-3,000 during that time, according to AP.
Last Thursday, Gov. Kevin Stitt implemented measures including mask mandates in state buildings and closing bars and inperson restaurant service 11 p.m., AP reported.
Oklahoma City
Two Oklahoma City police officers shot and killed a man after he raised a shotgun as they approached him on the city’s south side, the Associated Press reported.
The officers, Sgts. Daniel Carli and James Runner, fatally shot Michael Dansby last Thursday evening after Dansby’s fiancé called 911, saying he was loading his weapon and she needed police, according to AP.
When Carli and Runner responded to the call, they found Dansby walking in the street, armed with a shotgun and pistol. As the officers approached Dansby and began shouting orders. Dansby then raised the shotgun and the officers opened fire. He was pronounced dead at the scene, AP reported.
The officers have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is being investigated. Police said Dansby had become “increasingly annoyed” in the days leading up to the shooting and was on his way to confront his neighbors, who he believed were watching him, according to AP.
Muskogee
Netflix’s “Tiger King” star Jeff Lowe has been accused of recurring inhumane treatment and improper handling of endangered species of animals, the Associated Press reported.
The U.S. Justice Department filed the complaint in federal district court in Muskogee against Lowe, his wife Lauren Lowe, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park acquired from founder Joe Exotic in 2016 and Tiger King, LLC. After closing the Wynnewood zoo last August, the Lowes agreed to pay more than $100,000 in delinquent sales tax from sales at the zoo. Then, the federal complaint alleged they create an illegal, unlicensed wildlife park on a 33- acre tract in Thackerville named “Tiger King Park,” according to AP.
The complaint accused the Lowes of violating the Endangered Species Act “by illegally taking, possessing and transporting protected animals.” It also accuses them of violating the Animal Welfare Act “by exhibiting without a license and placing the health of animals in serious danger. The complaint seeks an injunction to bar any further unlicensed public exhibitions of animals, halt any further violations of federal wildlife laws and order the Lowes to give any animals covered by the Endangered Species Act to federal authorities, AP reported.
The federal investigation of the Wynnewood zoo made famous in Netflix’s “Tiger King” series began after an animal rights group accused it of neglect. Joe Exotic, a pseudonym for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year sentence for his January conviction on charges claiming he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws.