Aug 3 1970
New Cordell Law Firm Is Announced
Establishment of a new law firm in Cordell was announced Wednesday of this Week, Ben G. Price and Ralph W. Emerson announced the formation of a law partnership as of Sept. 1. The new firm has negotiated for the purchase of facilities formerly occupied by Foth and Price at 119 South Market, in the Carol building. Walter Foth moved to Kansas last year to accept a college position, Price, a 1966 graduate of the Üniversity of Oklahoma college of law moved here last summer and joined Foth in law practice. Emerson, a native of Cloud Chief who is well known in Cordell and Washita county, passed the state bar examination recently. He graduated from Cloud Chief high school and earned his bachelor degree at. West Texas State University at Canyon and his master of teaching degree at Southwestern State College in Weatherford. He taught school at Cloud Chief, Boise City and Cordell, He served as junior high school counselor here for eight years.He served in the army from 1944 to 1947, including service in Europe during World War II. Emerson and his wife, Pat, have two sons.
County Escapee Is Still Missing
An escapee from the Washita County Jail remained at large Wednesday of this week, and he was wanted at Clinton in connection with a car theft. Oliver Herrin, Jr., 43, from California, escaped from the county jail last Thursday night, Aug. 27. He was being held on & charge of second degree burglary in Bessie in July. County officers said he used some clothes hanger wire to spread jail bars enough to let him slip through. Clinton police received a report that a car had been stolen there about 8:30 a.m. last Friday, Aug. 28. The vehicle is owned by the General Adjustment Bureau in Clinton. It was taken from in front of the firm's office.
Mrs. Cunningham Is New City Librarian
Mrs. Wayne Cunningham has been appointed new librarian of the Cordell Carnegie library, it was announced Tuesday of this week, She succeeds Mrs. Jimmie McMahan, who resigned recently due to health reasons, Announcement of Mrs. Cunningham's appointment was announced by Hubert Williams, chairman of the Cordell library board who is also a member of the Western Plains Library System board. Mrs. Cunningham holds a bachelor degree in social studies from Southwestern State College. She had attended Oklahoma City University prior to that and received her high school diploma from Glenbard East in Lombard, IIl, Her husband, Wayne, is a former resident of Rocky and is currently enrolled as a student at Southwestern. Although a relative newcomer to Cordell, Mrs, Cunningham is youth director for the First Presbyterian church here and is an active resident of the community. In addition to Williams, the Cordell Carnegie library board is composed of Mrs. Raymond Wesner, Mrs. Ron Wesner, Mrs. Jack Harper, Miss Vivian Gibson and T.W. McCown.
Wednesday, August 10 1995
Cellmate "Snitches" Teen Murder Suspect Found Guilty By Jury
Jerry Dewayne Mooney stood expressionless as the Washita County Court Clerk read the decision of the 12 person jury - "guilty" of first degree murder. The 18-year-old was convicted of the 1993 beating death of Richard Turley, a 93-yearold Canute man who died six months after the incident. Mooney, along with co-defendant Ricky Fletcher and sister Amy Mooney, allegedly beat the man with a flashlight and a kitchen pan. They also repeatedly kicked the man. Turley never came out of a coma.
David Cox, a convicted felon who celled with Mooney at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, testified that Mooney "'started bragging about how he killed an old man, how he beat him down".
Cox said the defendant confided in him that he hit the elderly man with a frying pan, but got his sister to admit to it because she had immunity. Amy Mooney does have state immunity in the case.
Cox said he "could get killed" for his role as informant. He said he felt the need to testify because his grandfather had been killed in a similar fashion. He will be sent back to McAlester.
Dr. Fred Jordan, Oklahoma State Medical Examiner, said he did the autopsy on Turley and determined he died of head trauma.
He said Turley had severe injuries to the front, side and back of the head and that the brain was immersed in blood, a sign of major trauma.
With the head injury, Turley lost his gag reflex and his lungs filled with fluid. When he first expired medical examiners said the cause of death was pneumonia.
Jordan said it is not uncommon for death to come months after an incident.
Bruce Spence, OSBI criminologist who specializes in prints, said a foot print matching shoes worn by Mooney was found on a door at Turley's residence, which supports evidence Mooney was the person to initially break into the home.
Fletcher will be tried for murder this fall, according to prosecuters.
The six man, six woman jury had spent most of Tuesday deliberating on a sentence for Mooney. As of press time they still had not reached a verdict.
The state is seeking the death penalty for the teen. A first degree murder conviction in Oklahoma has three possible punishments - life in prison, life without parole or the death penalty.
New Home For Delinquent Boys Opens at Foss Lake; Four Cordell Residents On Staff
This is the first week for six delinquent boys to attend the newly opened Foss Lake Adventure Program (FLAP) located on the southwest side of Foss Lake.
Working with the boys will be three Cordell graduates and one Cordell resident.
Assuming the duties of Administrative Assistant is 1986 Cordell graduate Shannon (Dobbs) Hill.
Hill holds her Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, from Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) and presently lives in Clinton with her husband Kenneth and two step-children, Sarah, 15 and Rhett, 9. Hill is joined with co-workers Jimmy Reynolds, full-time Youth Guidance SpecialistII; Bob Wrightsman and Wes Franklin, both whom are part-time Youth Guidance Specialists.
Reynolds is a high school graduate of Miami, Oklahoma and has received a Physical Education degree with a minor in Psychology from SWOSU, he lives in Cordell with his wife, Kimberly (Palsano) Reynolds and their three sons, Jimmy, 10; Casey, 5 and Bobby, 4.
Wrightsman is a 1990 graduate of Cordell High school, He is a student at SWOSU and is working toward his degree in Recreational Leadership.
Franklin is also a 1990 graduate of Cordell High School and will receive his degree this semester in Recreational Leadership from SWOSU. Franklin is married to the former Becky Isbell and has one son, Trevor, 1.
Both Wrightsman and Franklin currently live in Weatherford.
FLAP is operated by Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford for boys ages 12 to 17. The boys are assigned to the program by the newly established Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs.
Debbi McFarlin, MSW, is the FLAP Program Director. According to McFarlin, at-risk youths will be assigned to the program for a period of 30 to 60 days. They will be given individual attention and treatment in the areas of education, recreation and Counseling.
One of the major keys to the program's success will be to enhance the youth's self confidence and self concept.