Handgun stolen from truck parked outside local bar

Handgun stolen from truck parked outside local bar

By Ken Childers

ONL Editor

A firearm was stolen from a vehicle parked outside of a local bar last week and a nearby resident says she heard gunfire at about the same time of the incident.

At about 10:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, Officer Charles Starkey of the Okemah Police Department received a call about property stolen from a truck parked in front of Lou’s Rocky Road Tavern, located at 118 South Second Street.

According to the police report, Starkey responded to the scene and met with Rocky Duke, the owner of the vehicle. Duke said he had arrived at the bar at around 10:30 and left the truck unlocked because he did not plan on staying inside very long.

Duke told Starkey he went back to his vehicle and noticed the center console had been opened and his wallet, checkbook and a pistol were missing. The handgun was identified as a Glock 9mm Model 43 and its serial number (BFXD418) was later registered with the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

A nearby resident of the bar said she called the police department to report she heard what sounded like gunfire in the area at about the same time as the burglary. Police were unable to confirm that shots had been fired in the vicinity of the bar.

An employee of the tavern pointed out to Starkey that a video camera was aimed directly toward the area where Duke’s vehicle was parked, but video footage was not readily available. According to the police report, the video was available the following day.

Shortly after Starkey arrived at the bar, Officer Jay Ashley received a call about a wallet that had been found at 115 W. Broadway, according to the police report. Ashley informed Starkey that the wallet belonged to Duke and returned it to him.

Another nearby resident told ONL he saw multiple items, including credit cards, scattered throughout the area and helped Ashley gather them up. When the wallet was returned to Duke, he looked through it and told the officers nothing was missing. Duke’s checkbook was also found in an alleyway on the north side of the bar and returned to him by officers.

At press time Tuesday, the incident remained under investigation and no arrests had been made.