The state/region in brief

Delivery man shot to death in Tulsa

TULSA - A delivery man unloading dough at a Papa John’s Pizza store was fatally shot outside the business, Tulsa police said.

The shooting occurred shortly after 6 a.m. Saturday on East 11th Street.

Police said the victim was unloading dough from the trailer of a semi-truck when his partner, who was inside the restaurant, heard a loud crash.

The Tulsa World reported that the partner found the victim on the ground with two gunshot wounds in the chest.

Police identified the victim as 53-year-old Robert Horton of Arlington, Texas.

The crew had driven from Texas and was making deliveries in Oklahoma.

It was unclear whether anything had been stolen.

Investigators were trying to identify suspects.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Officials: Fire set at office is arson

NEVADA, Mo. - State and federal officials said a fire at a southwest Missouri probation and parole office was deliberately set.

A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information about the fire that damaged the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole office in Nevada last week.

The Joplin Globe reported that the fire early Wednesday caused heavy burn damage to the west end of the state office and damage from heat and smoke throughout the building.

Nevada fire Chief Bill Thornton said the state fire marshal and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives both determined the fire was arson.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former jail deputy enters guilty plea

OKLAHOMA CITY - A former Muskogee County jail deputy has pleaded guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI.

The U.S. Department of Justice said 33-year-old Dennis Frisbie Jr. pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Oklahoma City to one count of making false statements to the FBI.

The department said Frisbie admitted he lied when he told the FBI that he had been shot in the shoulder by an unknown person after he was interviewed by agents investigating allegations of inmate abuse at the Muskogee County jail.

The FBI suspended its investigation into allegations of inmate abuse at the jail after Frisbie reported being shot.

Frisbie acknowledged Friday that he shot himself and told agents that someone else shot him in an effort to affect the jail-abuse investigation.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Route 66 bridge fails state check

SAPULPA, Okla. - A bridge along the original Route 66 closed to trafficafter it failed a state inspection.

The No. 18 Rock Creek Bridge was built west of Sapulpa in 1921 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Sapulpa Assistant City Manager David Gilliland said inspectors found that some of the bridge’s trusses and uprights were damaged.

Gilliland told the Tulsa World that the closure will require people from about a dozen households to travel up to a mile out of the way.

Officials said the bridge remains a landmark for Route 66 enthusiasts. Mike Jeffries, the director of the Sapulpa Historical Museum, said he’s hopeful the bridge will reopen - even if it’s only used for cyclists and pedestrians.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Oklahoma facility faces five lawsuits

McALESTER, Okla.

  • Five lawsuits against Narconon Arrowhead in Pittsburg County accuse counselors at the organization of trading drugs for sex and claim one patient’s credit card was fraudulently charged for $14,500.

Narconon Arrowhead officials issued a statement saying the lawsuits filed Thursday are financially motivated and “have no foundation of truth.” The organization said its purpose is to help people overcome addiction and to prevent young people from developing drug habits.

The McAlester News-Capital reported that the nonprofit facility in Canadian, Okla., is under investigation after the deaths of three clients in the span of a year. A fourth client died at a hospital.

Three of those families are also suing Narconon Arrowhead, which is affiliated with the Church of Scientology.

No criminal charges have been filed in the deaths.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Enid officer under probe in shooting

ENID, Okla. - An Enid police officer fatally shot a man who had purportedly threatened to shoot a woman at her home and then confronted officers with a weapon, authorities said.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation said Sunday that 36-year-old Jimmy Wayne Birchfield also lived at the home and threatened to also shoot the woman’s dogs. When officers arrived at 7 p.m. Saturday, the woman came out of the home and Birchfield approached the front door while aiming a shotgun outside.

An Enid police officer fired at Birchfield, hitting him in the chest.

Officials said Birchfield was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The bureau is investigating and will provide a prosecutor with a report. The prosecutor will determine whether the shooting was justified.

The officer, who wasn’t named, is on administrative leave.

  • THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 03/26/2013

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