Flashbacks

25 Years Ago Feb. 22, 1995

Mounce Waives Preliminary Hearing

In Associate District Judge Joe Burch’s courtroom Tuesday morning, prosecutors objected to the “guilty” plea of Randy Glenn Mounce, who is being held on first degree murder charges.

Assistant District Attorneys Edward Wyant and Brad Leverett want to have the case move on to district court, where Judge Richard Darby would hear the case and hand down the sentence.

Hobart attorney Anthony Mitchell, who is representing Mounce, waived the preliminary hearing, which is the part of the trial process where the state must prove probable cause the defendant committed the said crime.

Mitchell also waived the “two judge rule” and petitioned the associate court to sit as trial court and accept plea of guilty.

The state objected on the grounds that an Oklahoma law says a judge can’t preside over a preliminary hearing and then try the same case.

Mitchell’s argument is that since Mounce waived the hearing, Burch has not heard the case yet.

A separate hearing on the objection will be held Friday at 1:30 p.m. in the courthouse, with Burch making the decision.

Seventeen-year-old Mounce is charged in the stabbing death of Bill Wohl, a 67-year-old Burns Flat man. The alleged homicide took place on December 13th outside the victim’s Burns Flat home.

Russ Removed From Ballot After Hearing

Ronald Russ, candidate for Cordell police chief, will have his name stricken from the April 4th general election ballot after a twenty minute hearing last Wednesday morning in the Washita County Courthouse.

After Assistant District Attorney Edward Wyant read Oklahoma state law Title 16-110, which in summary says a candidate must be a registered voter for six months in the area he or she is running for public officer, Election Board Secretary June Wesner said she must follow the law and informed Russ his name would not be on the ballot.

Russ, who has been living in Cordell for over two years, registered to vote on January 10, 1995.

54th Annual County Livestock Show Opens Sunday In Cordell

Washita County merchants should be prepared to see a fistful of dollars with Thomas Jefferson on the front in the next few weeks.

Two dollar bills, which feature the third president of the United States, will be awarded to the top four placers in each category at this weekend’s 54th annual Washita County Junior Livestock Show.

Dirk Webb, secretary of the livestock show, said this is the first time the 9 to 18 year old participants will be awarded prize money for their efforts.

First place is $6, second place is $5, and third and fourth pays $3.

50 Years Ago Feb. 19, 1970

City Sales Tax Rises; New Fire Truck Purchased

Cordell has received a city sales tax check for $6,368.87, an increase of $1,333.23 over the payment last month.

The lates check represented the one-cent municipal sales tax. It was the largest received by Cordell since the penny tax went into effect last September. It was the fourth check.

The payments from the state tax commission are averaging above $3,000 per month.

The city council has purchased a new fire truck, which is expected to arrive in the next month or so. The fire truck was given firest priority to stave off a threatened insurance rate increase because the fire department did not meet certain requirements for Cordell’s classification.

Sunday Fire Heavily Damages City Church

Fire Sunday afternoon, Feb. 15, resulted in extensive damage to the Assembly of God church in Cordell. It is estimated that the loss will run into the thousands of dollars.

The alarm was turned in at 5:25 p.m. Sunday and firemen remained at the location of the church, Fourteenth and N. Market, for an hour and a half.

The blaze burned out all of the ceilings, the underneath part of the roof, and many of the joists and rafters.

The entire building was damaged by heat, smoke, and water and most of the furnishings were damaged. The loss is covered by insurance, it is reported.

Cordell Future Farmers To Observe National Week

Vocational agriculture students in Cordell High School will join FFA members throughout the nation in activities to emphasize the importance of agriculture during FFA WEEK, February 21-28. The theme for this year’s celebration is “FFA... emphasis agriculture.” Throughout the week the young agriculturists will be emphasizing the importance to this nation of a dynamic and prosperous agriculture to its citizens, but they will also seek to inform the public of the vast opportunities open to young people in agriculture today.