Crash Victim's Family Responds
To Charges Against OCPD Officer
BY DANA HERTNEKY
Court officials said an
Oklahoma City police officer faces criminal charges for driving too fast and
crashing into and killing a 79-year old woman. Officer Bryant Holloway was
charged with negligent homicide, a misdemeanor.
According to the court
documents, Officer Holloway was trying to chase down a speeder and was going 78
miles per hour 150th Street near May Avenue without lights and siren. The speed
limit was posted at 40 miles per hour.
The accident happened as
Marinan Reese was trying to make a left hand turn out of her neighborhood. The
probable cause affidavit said Officer Holloway hit his brakes but was still
going about 60 miles per hour at impact. Reece, whose son describes as a
hardworking, dedicated member of her church and the Sooners, died.
“Both the officer and the OCPD need to be held
accountable, but there's no malice there or anything from our side,” said
Reece's son, Steve. “We feel like this whole thing is part of God's overall
plan in regards to my mom and her legacy.”
According to the court
documents, Ms. Reese's view was obstructed by that hill so she couldn't see
Officer Holloway coming.
“My opinion is he was going too
fast,” said Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty. “Officers have to go at a
speed that still keeps the public safe.”
Chief Bill Citty said state law
allows for officers to drive above the speed limit without lights and siren and
so does department policy.
“If you turn the lights and
siren on a lot of individuals will turn and try and hide from the officers if
they're far enough away,” explained Citty.
However, Chief Citty said the
department is looking at making that policy more restrictive.
“We've looked at speeds, we've
had to discipline some officers for excessive speeds in certain circumstances
and so we feel like there's enough of an issue there and a problem we're going
to have to be a little more definitive in guiding our officers as to what their
speeds will be in certain circumstances.”
Reese's family however, said
they're comfortable where their mom is now and just hope some good will come
from this for Officer Holloway.
“Maybe it could be a positive
in his life somehow, that this accident draws him closer to his family or the
Lord and that's what my mother would have wanted.”
Officer Holloway has been on
administrative leave since the accident.
Officer charged in fatal
accident
OKLAHOMA CITY —The district
attorney is charging Officer Bryant Hollaway with misdemeanor negligent
homicide.
The charges come after a
violent collision with his patrol car and Marinan Reese's car.
“If there is a way for this to
be a positive influence on that young man’s life, I think my mother would have
been the first to raise her hand and say ‘I’ll gladly give my life if God has
work to do in this young man’s life,'" Reese's son, Steve, said.
The unwavering faith of Steve
Reese was passed down to him from his mother.
It’s been hard since she died,
and, at times, anger has crept in.
“Both this young man and the
OCPD need to be held accountable," he said.
Reese says he’s leaving that
decision up to the courts and he’ll continue to put his trust in God.
“Those of us that have spent
our lives in Oklahoma City know that, most of the time, that the OCPD has our
safety and our well-being in mind," Reese said. "We know that God is
in control and that He also showed mercy on this young man, easily both of them
could have been killed.”
Officer
charged in connection with pawning police items
By Michael Purdy
Oklahoma City —
An Oklahoma City officer is
accused of pawning police gear, over the period of multiple months.
Newsok.com reports Travis Smith
was charged on Friday with 10 felony counts of making a false declaration of
ownership to a pawnbroker.
He's said to have sold a police
radio, gas masks, riot gear, and a ballistic vest.
It was his supervisor who
actually noticed the items were being pawned.
The supervisor was searching a database law officers can access
regarding pawn shops.
"Police supervisors
suspected criminal behavior when Smith displayed suspicious actions and
behavior," OKC police said in a release.
All of the pawned items have
been recovered. Police also found pawn
tickets, signed by Smith.
New
Metro Police Chief Jack Lumpkin has vowed to clean up the police force.
In the meantime, Khaalis is
scheduled to have his arraignment docket call at the Chatham County Courthouse
Monday at 9:15 a.m.
OKC police officer charged with
selling police equipment
OKLAHOMA CITY —A 14-year
veteran with the Oklahoma City Police Department was charged with 10 counts of
making a false declaration to a pawnbroker on Friday.
Sgt. Travis Smith, 40, is on
paid leave as the charges are investigated.
Police said Smith is suspected
of pawning police equipment that was property of OKC police to pawn shops in
the area.
The criminal investigation is
complete and now the Oklahoma City Police Department will conduct an internal
investigation
