USPS 489-380
Friday
“A rumor is
about as hard to
unspread as
butter.”
September 28, 2007
50 Cents
Vol. 81, No. 152
16 Pages & Supplement
Contents Copyright 2007
Seminole Producer, Inc.
Seminole, Oklahoma
USPS 489-380
Peterson Files Suit againstFriday
Author
By DONNY COFER
Managing Editor
Seminole County District
Attorney Bill Peterson, along
with Gary L. Rogers, have
filed a lawsuit against three
authors, a high-profile attorney, and several publishing
companies.
A media advisory sent to
The Producer on Friday morning, announced that Peterson
and Rogers are charging author
John Grisham and others with
conspiracy and libel.
A news conference was
scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
Friday morning in front of the
U.S. District Court in Muskogee to officially announce the
filing of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is being filed
against Grisham, author of The
Innocent Man, a non fiction
book about the 1982 murder of
Debbie Sue Carter in Ada, and
the subsequent investigation,
prosecution, conviction and
exoneration of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz.
Also named in the lawsuit
is Robert Mayer, author of
The Dreams of Ada, a book
portrayed as non-fiction primarily about the 1984 murder
of Denice Haraway in Ada, and
the subsequent investigation,
prosecution, conviction and
—Staff Photo by Donny Cofer exoneration of Tommy Ward
The sign at Seminole’s Church of Christ welcomed home and Karl Fontenot.
Peterson and Rogers also
Judge Gary Snow and his wife Linda on Thursday. Snow
name
Dennis Fritz, author
was released from OU Medical Center after spending months
and main subject of Journey
recovering from an automobile accident in April.
Welcome Home
September 28, 2007
Towards Justice, a book about
the investigation, prosecution,
conviction and exoneration of
himself.
Barry Scheck, an attorney
nationally known for the O.J.
Simpson case and others for
his work regarding DNA was
also named in the lawsuit.
Scheck is a former lawyer
for Fritz and author of Actual
Innocence.
in the lawsuit.
Peterson, and Rogers, who
is a former agent for the OSBI
and former Shawnee police
officer, are being represented
by noted trial lawyers Gary
L. Richardson, Charles Richards and Kevin D. Adams, of
the Richardson Law Firm in
Tulsa.
Gary Richardson is a nationally known trial lawyer recog-
verdicts as a defense attorney
in three Oklahoma counties.
Kevin Adams is only the
Vol. 81,attorney
No. 152in Tulsa
second
16
Pages
Supplements
County to &receive
the Clarence
Darrow
Award, 2007
which
Contents Copyright
acknowledges
outstanding
Seminole Producer, Inc.
criminal defense lawyers.
Seminole,
Oklahoma
In the lawsuit,
Peterson and
USPS
489-380
Rogers claim that the defendants committed libel, and that
their actions were done to gen-
Peterson
Grisham
Fritz
nized for winning record-setting defamation judgements.
Labeled Oklahoma’s Top
Legal Gun, he won the largest libel verdict in U.S. history
($58 million) against media
giant Belo Broadcasting Corp.
and Dallas affillate WFAATV.
Charles Richardson is a
former Tulsa County District
Attorney with record-setting
erate publicity for self interest
sake, and that they placed
both Peterson and Rogers in
a false light, and intentionally
inflicted emotional distress on
the two.
It also alleges that the defendants are jointly and severally
libel for Defamation.
Peterson has long-claimed
that Grisham’s book about the
(See Lawsuit on Page 8)
Peterson
and
Rogers
also name Doubleday Dell
Publishing Group, publisher
of The Innocent Man and
Actual Innocence; Random
House Incorporated, owner
of Doubleday Dell; Broadway Books, publisher of The
Dreams of Ada; and Seven
Locks Press and/or James C.
Riordan, publisher of Journey
Towards Justice, as defendants
50 Cents
Seminole Man Pleads Guilty to Arson, Robbery, Grand Larceny
By SHANNON EASON
Staff Writer
A Seminole man has nowpled guilty to felony arson,
burglary and grand larceny
charges filed on Sept. 21,
2006.
Frank Duncan Schlueter,
28, rendered his plea in Seminole County District Court on
Monday.
The charges came after the
suspicious burning of a residence located north of Seminole belonging to Ricky Don
Sebourn.
On Sept. 3, 2006 firefighters received a call from neighbor Dayne Chastain after he
noticed the fire when he was
awakened by the sound of two
car doors shutting.
He woke up and noticed the
southeast of the home on fire.
Firefighters responded, but
the home was a total loss.
State Fire Marshall James
Simmons investigated the fire
and allowed Sebourn, who
returned from Texas immediately upon hearing of the
fire, to go through the home
as well.
While looking around,
Sebourn told Seminole County
Deputy Dusty Streater that
personal firearms were missing from the home.
When asked if he knew
anyone who may have wanted
to do something like this to
him, Sebourn initially mentioned his brother Steven Bar-
rett, who had been incarcerated
for arson before.
He then told Streater that he
did not feel that Barrett could
have done it due to his physical
condition.
He then mentioned that
“
He added that Schlueter had
quit about two months prior
because he was caught stealing
merchandise from him.
Schlueter was arrested on a
Pottawatomie County Warrant
shortly after and brought in for
I did not start the fire, but the
evidence is such that I believe that
if I go to trial, I will be convicted of
starting a fire.”
Frank Duncan Schlueter
Schlueter, a former employee,
had been to his home many
times and knew that there were
guns in the home that were not
gun safe.
questioning.
When questioned on his
where about on the evening of
Sept. 3, Schlueter stated that
he was in Texas at the time of
Area Boards to Meet
By DONNY COFER
Managing Editor
Several area boards have
set meetings for the upcoming
week.
The Town of Cromwell will
hold their regular scheduled
meeting inside the Cromwell
Community Center at 6 p.m.
on Monday.
Board members will hear
the financial report from the
Town Clerk and others.
Board members will vote
whether or not to accept the
resignation of Kathy Marley
from the board.
An executive session is also
planned to discuss the Fire
Chief and Assistant Fire Chief
positions.
The
Varnum
Public
Schools Board of Education
will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday
inside the board room.
Board members will discuss the contract with Benson
Construction, as well as the
school’s contract with the
Department of Career Tech
for the secondary and full-time
adult career and technology
education program for the
2007-08 school year.
An executive session is
planned to discuss the superintendent’s recommendations for
employing a teaching assistant,
and an in-school detention
monitor.
The Seminole Golf Advisory Committee will meet at 4
p.m. on Monday inside the City
Manager’s conference room.
(See Agendas on Page 8)
Seminole
SeminoleCounty
CountyToday
Today
birthdays
Those celebrating birthdays today
include Roxy Lofton, Liz Gunter,
Janna Smith, Sarah Price, Brandi
Jones, Isaac Harjo, Robert Harjo,
Earl Ray Jim, Myrtle Scott, Tami
Robertson, Vicki McAnally, Ethel
Mae Garield, Polly Hailey, Gary
Mainord, Kathy Downey, Russell
Patterson Sr.
Those celebrating birthdays Saturday include Patrick Wyrick, Carlos
Prieto, Craig Poafpybitty, Terri
the fire and that he knew about
it because his mother Sharon
Barrett had called him on Sept.
4 and told him.
While conducting a warranted search of Schlueter’s
vehicle, officers found two
firearms, ammunition, and a
set of vehicle keys, all allegedly belonging to Sebourn.
During questioning, Schlueter continued to proclaim his
innocence, stating he did not
burn the house, and that he
wasn’t even there when it was
burned.
“He said he was asked by
Sebourn’s brother, Steven Barrett to pick up the guns from
three men who were going to
break into Sebourn’s house and
that he didn’t know who they
Off Road
were,” Officer Dusty Streater’s
report noted.
“He then stated that Steven
Barrett was going to pay him
$600 to bring him the guns.”
“Schlueter then stated he
was going to tell the truth and
said that he was the only one
there at Sebourn’s house on the
night in question.”
Schlueter then told Streater
that he walked through the tree
line to the house and opened
the front door because it was
unlocked and he knew that
Sebourn left it unlocked.
He continued by saying that
he went to the refrigerator, got
a Pepsi out and drank it and
then started gathering items
to steal.
(See Plea on Page 8)
—Staff Photos by Donny Cofer
This car went off road in an accident on Wednesday just south of the Little Cemetery on US 377. According to reports, the
driver was attempting to pass a semi-truck and was run off of the highway. No injuries were reported in the accident. Strother
FD and Seminole Medicus responded to the scene.
Renner, Lillian Tipton, Joe Brauning,
Clinton Flowers, Kimberly Norman,
Rick Marshall, Dannye Eugene
Billie, Beverly Brothers Washington,
Jary Davis, Kelly Jones, Elizabeth
Bridgewater, Ricky Combs III,
Jesslyn Michele Richards, Dot Sims,
Logan Rothrock, Calab Colvin,
Brenna Sullinger, John V. Lewis, and
Dan McMains.
anniversaries
Couples celebrating anniversaries
today include Mr. and Mrs. Carl Seyfert and Edna and Jack Sullivan.
Miss
MissYour
YourPaper?
Paper?
Those celebrating anniversaries
Saturday include Mr. and Mrs. Bill
Downey.
slants
Jack Tinsley dropping off info …
Johnny Grandstaff helping out.
We’ll
We’llbring
bringyou
youone!
one! tonight
Call
Call 382-1100
382-1100
ØSeminole v. Kellyville, high
school football, at Kellyville, 7:30
p.m.
Weekdays
Weekdaysuntil
until7pm
7pm Sundays
Sundays8-10
8-10am
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ØWewoka v. Minco, high school
In
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257-���1 football, at Wewoka, 7:30 p.m. (This
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Konawa
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Countdown
20 Days
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