Feb 9, 2021
A local optometrist has filed a lawsuit alleging death threats and loss of business after she traveled to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, court records show.
Nicole Kish, O.D. filed a lawsuit on Jan. 19 and claimed she was forced to hire an off-duty police officer following a series of death threats and harassing phone calls to the eye care clinic, the lawsuit petition reads. Kish operates her own practice at Powers Vision Eye care.Â
Kish flew to Washington, D.C. to âparticipate in the protests regarding the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021,â according to court records. The record does not say if Kish only attended former President Donald Trumpâs rally, or also marched to the Capitol.
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A new set of jury trials is scheduled over the first two weeks in February at the Cleveland County District Courthouse.
Among the cases are a racketeering case involving four defendants and one case relating to lewd child molestation charges.
Racketeering trial
District Judge Michael Tupper will hear the racketeering case at 8:30 a.m. Monday. The case includes defendants Lawrence Lay Jr., 20, Marcus Larod Jackson, 22, and Dayven Devon Taylor, 20, all of Norman, and Juwan Thomas Square, 23, of Moore.
All of the defendants face conspiracy to commit racketeering.
A charge of racketeering and discharging a weapon into a dwelling were dismissed against Lay Jr. on Dec. 9, 2019.
Norman man faces charges related to child porn normantranscript.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from normantranscript.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A Norman man faces two felony counts relating to child pornography.
Alijah Gabriel Mendoza, 24, was charged Jan. 15 in Cleveland County District Court with procuring, producing, distributing or possessing child pornography and violation of state statute via computer.
According to a court affidavit, a criminal investigator with the Department of Homeland Security investigations division in Oklahoma City received a case referral Nov. 29, 2018, regarding a list of Kik users who were reported for child exploitation activities, including a username tracked to Mendoza.
In July 2019, the investigator served a summons on Cox Communications Inc. and received records allegedly related to an IP address owned by John Vanover, who once lived with Mendoza in Oklahoma City.
Jan 1, 2021
The Cleveland County Courthouse experienced a decrease in the total number of cases conducted in 2020 in a shift most likely related to COVID-19, according to District Judge Thad Balkman.
According to statistics gathered by Balkman, the total number of cases judges saw in 2020 was 23,116. Compared to 28,259 cases in 2019, thatâs a difference of 5,143, or 18.2%.
Small claims were down 39.4% from 6,699 to 4,061; protective orders were down 11.1% from 883 to 785; and guardianships were down 14.4% from 396 to 339.
Additionally, the statistics showed about 100 fewer felony filings and about 1,000 fewer misdemeanors filed in 2020 compared to 2019. However, domestic violence crimes increased from 500 to 1,000, or a 100% increase.
Balkman said due to administrative and Supreme Court orders and directives, the courthouse was allowed to stay open during the pandemic with precautions in place, including docketing changes to minimize the number of people in a courtroom at o