From The Files of

The Seminole Producer

TRAVELING WITH THE GRAND JURY Seminole County Grand Jury members visited jails in Seminole, Konawa and Wewoka this morning traveling together in a Seminole church bus.

This afternoon the jury is expected to begin hearing witnesses and taking testimony concerning allegations made against District Attorney Roy Powell of Ada. Starting promptly at 9 a.m. this morning, the jurors gathered in the district courtroom at Wewoka for a brief meeting then at 9:15 a.m. boarded a bus belonging to the Seminole Church of Christ. Grand jury foreman Norman Boggs is a deacon of the Seminole church and he drove the bus today. Boggs drives the bus regularly each Sunday for the church, The Producer was told.

Assistant Attorney General Bob McDonald, who is one of two assistants advising the grand jury, accompanied the jurors on their tour of the jails today as did Sheriff Bill Merryfield. Merryfield is a member of the Seminole Church of Christ and made arrangements for the jury to use the bus.

Overcast skies and a light mist of rain greeted the 12 jury members as they left the courthouse in Wewoka enroute to the Seminole city jail.

A Producer reporter in a private car followed the grand jurors on their tour. While enroute to Seminole traveling on U.S. 270 the jury bus passed a county road where a county roadgrader was working. The bus never exceeded the legal speed limit during its entire trip.

Jurors found a spotless Seminole city jail, where all floors had been waxed in anticipation of the jurors’ visit. State law requires a grand jury to inspect county jails as one of its first official functions Four prisoners were being held in the Seminole jail today. One on a charge of driving while intoxicated, another for assault and battery in an alleged beating of his wife and two others on charges of driving under the influence.

The prisoners told jurors they are fed oatmeal and beans and coffee and water while imprisoned.

Several grand jurors asked Police Chief Tom Lemings questions concerning prisoner incarceration, and the jail. Some jurors said they felt the dark green paint colors of the city jail are too dark. While the jurors inspected the city jail, which smelled of human sweat despite being clean, two inmates played cards.

A picture of Jesus Christ hung on a wall in the trustee area of the jail and a New Testament Bible lay on a table.

Jury members asked police officials about safety precautions for inmates in the event of a fire. The jurors were told that the second floor jail has a fire escape which can be opened by police personnel from the outside.

“The color in here is most depressing.” one grand juror was heard to say concerning the dark green jail cell paint. “That color would drive me behind bars.” The jury left the Seminole jail enroute to Konawa at 10:05 a.m.

Traveling south of Seminole on new SH 99 the jury bus passed grazing cows, pumping oil wells and trees sprouting fourth new green leaves.

At Konawa, acting Police Chief L. J. Barrett showed jurors the city jail cells which are located in the rear of city hall There were no prisoners being held today in the Konawa city jail. Seminole police had radioed Konawa police and informed them that the grand jury bus was enroute to their city and police needed to be at the jail to give the jurors a tour.

Jurors questioned Chief Barrett about heating and cooling systems of the two-room jail. The chief also explained to jurors that when prisoners are held in the city jail police pick up food for the prisoners from a nearby cafe.

Leaving the Konawa city jail after a 15 minute visit, the jurors returned to Wewoka where they were to inspect the new Seminole County jail.

The new jail block is located in the new north wing of the county courthouse and in addition to several new top-security cells also includes a shower area for inmates and a kitchen.

A cell for women and another for juveniles also are features of the new county jail. -oOo WEWOKA - An allwhite grand jury of five women and seven men has been empaneled here and today launched an investigation into alleged law violations in Seminole County.

District Judge Frank H. Seay, striving for an impartial grand jury, administered oaths of office to the qualified 12 jurors at 12:56 p.m. Monday following four hours of questioning which saw several jurors disqualified.

Some jurors were disqualified because they admitted being recipients on their private property of free county gravel and labor from county commissioners in alleged violation of state law. Others told the court they do business with public officials, are employed by public officials or have relatives who work for public officials and these as well as others with conflicts were also disqualified. Judge Seay appointed Norman Boggs of Seminole, an Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company lineman and church deacon, to serve as foreman of the grand jury.

Other qualified jurors administered oaths Monday were: - Nancy Lee Stalleup, Woodrow Wilson School cook, of Route 3, Seminole.

- Iva Combs, retired, Seminole.

- Benjamin Brown, pipe welder, Seminole.

- Randall Norman, unemployed, rural Sasakwa.- Sam Mitchell, postal employee, of Route 3, Seminole.

- Byrd Lane, retired, of Wewoka.

- Donna Jean McGowen, Blue Bell Compay employee, of Route 2, Seminole.

- Gene H. Clapp, an Oklahoma City transportation company employee, of Route 1, Earlsboro.

- Gerald Loyd Davis, carpenter, of Bowlegs.

- Mrs. E. V. Christopher, housewife, of Wewoka.

The 12 jurors each told the court they could render a fair and impartial judgement based on evidence presented them.

Advising the grand jury is Bob McDonald and Paul Crowe, chief assistants to State Attorney General Larry Derryberry.

McDonald presented the court Monday a letter from Gov. David Boren directing the attorney general’s office to advise the Seminole County Grand Jury throughout its entire deliberation.

The grand jury this morning toured jails in Wewoka, Seminole and Konawa and were scheduled to start seeing witnesses and hearing testimony this afternoon.

Judge Seay ordered the grand jury be convened after Sheriff Bill Merryfield presented a petition with sufficient signatures calling for a probe of District Attorney Roy Powell of Ada.

Powell and Merryfield were present in the district courtroom for Monday’s proceedings. They were introduced to the jurors by Judge Seay at the beginning of the jury selection process.

Starting at 9 a.m., Seay questioned jurors until the final 12 were sworn just before 1 p.m. He then gave the jurors their instructions, the courtroom was cleared, and the secret grand jury began functioning as one body.

At 2 p.m. the jurors went to a nearby cafe for lunch accompanied by the attorney general assistants and two bailiffs, Tina Ramage and Cloy Robbins, who were appointed to assist the grand jury by Seay.

Judge Seay apologized to the jurors for delaying their lunch period, but said he felt that a jury needed to be seated and sworn as quickly as possible.

After completing his questioning of the 12, Seay asked the attorney general assistants and Powell if they had any questions for the grand jurors. Powell objected to Norman being seated on the jury because the young man had told the court that two of his cousins at one time worked for the Wewoka Police Department. McDonald questioned Norman and asked him if he could render a fair and impartial decision Norman replied that he could.

The attorney general’s staff then said they accepted the jury and Judge Seay asked Powell if he had further questions.

“I’m satisfied with the jury,” the district attorney said.

In addition to Powell and Merryfield, another public official who attended the open court selection of the jury was County Assessor Paul Mathews. One of Mathews’ secretaries sat in the courtroom taking notes as did a secretary for the three county commissioners Commissioners B. Max Dye of Konawa, Clifford Ligon of Wewoka and Jim Whitt of Seminole, however, did not attend the proceeding although they were at the courthouse Monday.

There was an air of excitement at the courthouse Monday as county employees, mainly office secretaries, poked their heads into the courtroom or stood briefly watching the jury selection proceedings before returning to their jobs.

Two lists totaling 120 prospective jurors were drawn in accordance with state law and kept secret from outsiders until Monday when those who were summoned to appear for grand jury duty came before the court.

In the end, all but eight of the prospective 120 jurors had been drawn before a final 12 qualified jurors were found. Many of the 120 had been dimissed from jury duty because of hardships allowed by law while others could not be served notices to appear.

Jane Mathews, wife of the county assessor, was called as a juror, but was disqualified by Judge Seay.

In addition to Mrs. Mathews, twenty-six other also were disqualified for various reasons after being called to the jury box.

“We don’t only want the grand jury to be honest, but we want it to appear honest,” Judge Seay said coining a phrase he often uses in jury selection process.

Following the 2 p.m.. lunch break, the grand jury reconvened in the district courtroom behind closed doors. Only the attorney general assistants, who serve as legal advisors for the jury, and Mrs. Wanda Hensley, the court reporter named by Seay, are allowed inside with the grand jurors. The jury before recessing for the night at 4:15 p.m. picked a grand jury clerk from their number, who was not revealed and set up a working schedule of 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with an hour off for lunch at noon.

Seay had explained earlier that the jury sets its own working schedule.

The district judge is not permitted in the grand jury room unless invited by the jurors to help with a legal question.

Crowe said persons wishing to testify before the grand jury should come to the district courtroom here and notify the bailiff stationed at the courtroom door.

The bailiff will then notify the assistant attorney generals.

All grand jury testimony is secret and the jurors along with other court officials are sworn to secrecy.

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