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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.
Moore man charged with child sexual abuse
A Moore man faces four felony counts of child sexual abuse in Cleveland County District Court.
Timothy Matthew Aker, 42, was charged Dec. 29 after he allegedly touched the privates of a now 16-year-old girl over a three-year period.
According to a court affidavit, an Oklahoma City officer began investigating the case Dec. 4. During a forensic interview, the girl said the sexual abuse started when she was around age 13. While she was in gymnastics, Aker would begin rubbing her legs, then move up until he reached under her shorts.
During the forensic interview, the most recent event that she cited was in August, when she was sitting on the couch under a blanket next to Aker. Aker allegedly reached under the blanket and touched her privates. She also said Aker had massaged her chest, kissed the inside of her legs and performed oral sex on her at other times.
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
Ward 3 Enid City Commissioner Ben Ezzell Billy Hefton | Enid News & Eagle
ENID, Okla. â Recall petitioners are disputing Ben Ezzellâs assertions that prior state rulings could be applied to his appeals case and argue that the Enid city commissioner is using legal tactics to thwart his recall.
In an answer brief filed Tuesday in both district court and Oklahoma Supreme Court, the petitioners argue they have both followed all Enid City Charter requirements and that cited state statutes and rulings do not extend to recall elections.
âThis appeal is not about ensuring that the Stateâs interest in municipal elections is upheld. It is about stopping an election,â the filing read. âIf his efforts were to succeed, this would mean that his obstructionism and linguistic belligerence will be rewarded.â
By Jamie Berry | Transcript Staff Writer Dec 22, 2020
Couple charged in connection with child sexual abuse claims
An Oklahoma City couple was charged Dec. 16 in Cleveland County District Court following multiple allegations of child sexual abuse.
Joseph Michael Miller, 69, faces 11 felony counts, including nine counts of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 12, one count of first-degree rape and one count of performing lewd or indecent acts in the presence of a minor.
Shelley Rae Miller, 58, faces two felony charges of enabling child abuse after she allegedly allowed two underaged children to be sexually abused by Joseph, according to a court affidavit.