Flashbacks

25 Years Ago May 24, 1995

Escapees Don’t Get Very Far

An attempted breakout at the Washita County Courthouse earned a Burns Flat man about 10 seconds of freedom for which he could spend another 10 years in jail.

Sheriff Larry Burrows said James O. Jennings was being visited by his mother last Wednesday when he made a dash for the front door.

Deputy John Rizzi, who was on duty at the time, said Jennings “bolted out the front door and ran smack into two deputies,” who were standing on the lawn conversing.

Rizzi said the deputies “tackled him, handcuffed him, and brought him back in.” Jennings traveled less than 25 feet in his county jail escape attempt, which is a felony offense that carries a penalty of “no less than 10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $1,000.”

In a separate, unrelated, incident Burrows said an escaped inmate of the William S. Keys Correctional Facility was arrested Sunday outside Sentinel.

John Owens, serving a 20 year sentence for bogus checks, escaped the minimum security prison with wife Tanna Michelle Miller Owens. Burrows said the female will be charged with “aiding and abetting” a criminal.

Juanita Bohlman said the 28-year-old Owens was being visited by his wife on Sunday. He was reported missing around 5:00 p.m. and since she had been at the correctional facility, the car’s tag had been recorded.

An all points bulletin was put out on the 1986 gray Lincoln Town Car.

Burrows said Sentinel Officer J.D. Dobbs, a former Cordell Police Chief, saw the license plate number and stopped the car shortly after 10:00 p.m.

Cordell Council, City Employees Hold Planning Retreat

Twenty-five Cordell city leaders converged on Burns Flat last week to hold the first ever all-day planning retreat. City council members, the mayor, the city administrator, department supervisors, Department of Commerce representatives, and various others met to develop a plan for Cordell’s future.

The retreat idea was developed by Mayor Phil Kliewer. He said it was the first time city officials and city employees were able to bounce ideas off each other without feeling inhibited. He said he wanted everyone to deliberate on an equal basis.

Among other things, the attendees broke down into small focus groups to evaluate situations and develop ideas based on their experience.

County Conservation District Hosts First Outdoor Classroom

It took several months of planning and a lot of volunteer time, but the first outdoor classroom hosted by the Washita County Conservation District was held Monday, May 15.

For many months Lynn Klaassen, outdoor classroom organizer, visited outdoor classroom sites, hosted by other county conservation districts.

Klaassen gathered information and ideas and finally after many hours of planning and preparation, Cordell Elementary’s fifth grade students toured the outdoor classroom site.

The classrooms were set up in a pasture southeast of Cordell on private land.

50 Years Ago May 21, 1970

County Population Set At 11,563, Loss of 6,558

Washita County lost 6,558 population during the last 10 years, according to a preliminary 1970 census report released this week.

The report listed Washita County population this year at 11,563, down from 18,121 in 1960.

District Manager John Craft, who supervised the census in this area, said the final official report would be released later.

All counties in this part of the state -- with the exception of Custer County -- showed population losses since 1960. Custer County gained to 22,050 from 21,040 in 1960.

County Will Sell Industry Bonds, Cordell Has Two Good Prospects

Washita County commissioners have voted to sell $560,000 of county industrial bonds to finance buildings for two industrial firms to locate plants at Cordell.

The bonds will be sold in two separate series -- each for $280,000.

The sale will be held at 10:00 a.m. June 15 at the commissioners’ office in the county courthouse. The bonds will be sold to the bidder offering the lowest interest rate and agreeing to pay par and accrued interest to the county.

Record Per Acre Wheat Yield Seen

Crop conditions in Oklahoma on May 1 point to a new record high wheat yield of 29.0 bushels per harvested acre, according to the latest report of the Oklahoma Crop and Livestock Reporting Service.

Washita County’s per acre yield is estimated at 29.1 bushels per acre this year.

However, the crop reporting service predicts a Washita County harvest of 4,459,000 bushels from 153,100 acres.

For the entire state, the outlook is for a harvest of 108.3 million bushels, up 7.1 million from the April 1 forecast. But this is below last year’s harvest of 118.3 million bushels.

The acreage in wheat this year is less than last year over the state.

Last year the per acre yield averaged 28.5 bushels. The five-year average yield is 22.4 bushels.