ARAPAHO, Okla., April 17, 2008
Prison Sex-Slave Operation Alleged
Oklahoma Law Man Faces 467 Years In Prison, Charged With Rape, Sodomy And Bribery
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Custer County Sheriff Mike Burgess resigned Wednesday just as state prosecutors filed 35 felony charges against him, including 14 counts of second-degree rape, seven counts of forcible oral sodomy and five counts of bribery by a public official.
Burgess, the top officer in the county of 26,000 since 1994, appeared in court Wednesday was released after posting $50,000 bail.
"We are stunned," Undersheriff Kenneth Tidwell said Thursday.
Phone messages left Thursday afternoon at Burgess' home and with his attorney, Steve Huddleston, were not immediately returned.
Among other things, Burgess is accused of having sex with a female drug court participant who was in his custody. The crimes are to have occurred between October 2005 and April 2007.
A federal lawsuit filed in October claims Burgess told one drug court participant he would have her sent to prison if she didn't comply with his sexual demands.
The lawsuit, filed by 12 former inmates, alleges the sheriff's employees had them engage in wet T-shirt contests and offered cigarettes to those who would flash their breasts.
One prisoner alleged she became a jail trusty with more freedom after agreeing to perform a sex act on Burgess, but lost that status when she later refused.
Burgess also faces two counts each of sexual battery, rape by instrumentation and subornation of perjury, and one count each of engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, indecent exposure and kidnapping.
He could be sentenced to 467 years in prison if convicted on all counts, special prosecutor James Boring said, though a lesser sentence would be more likely.
No one else from the sheriff's department appears to be implicated, Tidwell said.
"The circumstances are certainly regretful," he said.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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See all 66 CommentsMight want to rethink that one, libs.
NO, re.****. Your premise, that "liberals" want to disarm all private citizens is FALSE. It is wrong. It is a LIE. It is ridiculous. (I have to say it several times if there''s any hope of getting this point to sink in your tiny little brain!) Also, the idea that "liberals" entirely trust the "law enforcement community" is utterly laughable.
The NRA tells you id.iots that "the liberals want to take away all your guns" and that keeps you all worried and afraid and paranoid, and THAT keeps you buying more and more guns. It''s easy money for the gun sellers.
BTW, for a little entertainment, read "The Gun Seller" by Hugh Laurie. It''s an engaging spy thriller that happens to make an important point about arms dealers that I think you''d benefit from, since that''s who you are working for, whether you realize it or not!
So you are telling me that the democratic candidates do not wish to severely restrict gun ownership? Please, they are scared to even mention the topic because their true stance on that issue would offend the majority of the population. Also, in general, liberals are far more trusting and/or dependent on the government than conservatives... so, yes, they are generally more trusting of the so-called authorities. Sorry, but that is a fair generalization (not true in every single case, but true in a great majority).
I own firearms because the police are NOT responsible for my safety, or the safety of any individual. If some criminal with evil intentions breaks in my house, only I will be able to stop him. You''ve heard the phrase "when seconds count the police are minutes away?" Well it is true for you as well as me.
I guess it should be OK for the Clintons to make $109M, but be enraged that my gun dealer makes $40 per firearm purchased.
It is too bad you fel that way. I am retired military and law enfoircement. I have met many police both professionally and personally and have been impressed with 99% of them. Perhaps if they were given a decent wage their credit would be better.
A liberal or a cop? Uh huh. Yeah, see, as soon as I scanned your bigoted piece of krap, I plant you right in there with the ignorant, toothless, knuckle draggers. You think that all cops are so-called "conservatives" or republicans? You have this brainwashed idea that all good people think and act like you. Do you think someone like Limbaugh would ever be a cop? Yeah, well of course, there he was buying illegal drugs. BUT oh well, not like cops aint done that before! See, I worked with "cops" and I can''t tell you how many times I seen them flaunting the laws, including driving drunk after parties and nobody caring.
Next time I have need of a cop, I''ll be sure to ask the cop if he''s a liberal or a cop. If it''s a woman, I''ll tell her to get back to the kitchen. Happy now??
I apologize for using the term liberals as i have known police officers fromm all political affiliations. You brtought up Limbaugh, he could never make it as a cop. All i have wever seen him do is run his mouth incessantly. What has he accomplished in life ? As for beng bigoted, i think you are the biggest bigot on here. You label all police as bad. You say you worked with cops, in what capacity, snitch ? You say you worked with police, if you hold them without any respect why would you work with them ? Sounds to me you are right up thgere in the sleaze ball category. I know all people don''t think or act like me, this is a free country where everyone has a right to their opinion. But i do feel we need police to deal with people like you.
Your disparaging of women poluice officers is uncalled for. Many women serve as police officers and do a fine job. Your analiigy of being sent back to the kitchen does not do these ladies any justice. Your attitude belongs back up in the hillls with your inbred family.
I guess we should be kind to rudy, he can''t help the case theat he has deep rooted psycholigical problems, is opinionated, bigoted, has inferior felings about his manhood brought on by women who have made successful careers. I would suppose after all these years of working as a janitor in a police station he would naturally develop an inferiority complex, of course i think the population in general would have had the same effect on him.
I agree with your assessment,,He really has nothing to offer, intellectually,, just hate, and vile comments, and for sure,, is morally bankrupt.
Yes it certainly looks bad when a police officver gets caught committing crimes. I am still glasd to see that they get caught. I think this shows other police are doing their jobs. They like the military serve in a thankless committment to the American public.
That some were so blatant as to be caught is like the Rodney King abuse, it happens so often that sooner or later someone had to be caught in the act.
Now to be fair, there should be no judge''s discretion in matters such as these, sanctions should be harsh and mandatory, the perpetrators should be incarcerated with the same population that "civilians" would be under the same conditions, but for longer terms, because they know they broke laws that they are guarding civilians for breaking.
The circumstances are indeed regretful. but no one else was implicated? Do they mean the girls performed the wet t shirt contest for an audience of one? If others were present, their failure to report a crime and their knowingly involvement in the contests if not in other things, certainly means more were implicated.
Maybe the girls are only telling on the sheriff, because a bigger, badder and uglier fish wants his job and as usual--they are cooperating to the fullest. Probe deeper...no doubt more than the sheriff are involved.
I agree with your statement except about Rodney King. Rodney was a convicted criminal, he was fleeing the police and he assaulted then first before he was beaten. Remember the police officers were acquitted on all charges. The public did not get to see the full tape. Rodney was high on pcp that night. He did receive a mulitmillion doalar settlement which i don''t feel he should have but poetic justice has prevailed. He is broke again today and has nothing to show for his wealth.
It has been a close race with Alabama, Mississippi, and Georga leading the pack but now Oklahoma feels it has a shot at victory.
Wasn''t this the state that wants to teach creation in schools and write fictional works and teach as doctrine. Yes, that is right folks they want to dumb down their kids even more so they accept this action as being good.
Welcome to the club Oklahoma you are now entered in the race for dumbest state in the country.
According to our consititution and rules of law, everyone is considered INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty. This is a fundamental issue in our country that separates us from the ''others'' we so quickly belittle in the world.
To claim these women were obviously guilty of ''a lot of bad behavior'' and not ''victims'' is prejudicial (judging before the facts) and non-american.
May things can land someone in jail - including missing a court date for a traffic ticket - it could have easily been you. We don''t know if they were good, bad, or otherwise - but regardless, being turned into a ***-slave is not a punishment (for either ***) for any crime in the US. What makes this heinous is it was carried out by a sheriff - and that some of you are so quick to pre-judge. May you be in their shoes next time. Open your eyes.
According to our consititution and rules of law, everyone is considered INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty. This is a fundamental issue in our country that separates us from the ''others'' we so quickly belittle in the world.
To claim these women were obviously guilty of ''a lot of bad behavior'' and not ''victims'' is prejudicial (judging before the facts) and non-american.
May things can land someone in jail - including missing a court date for a traffic ticket - it could have easily been you. We don''t know if they were good, bad, or otherwise - but regardless, being turned into a ***-slave is not a punishment (for either ***) for any crime in the US. What makes this heinous is it was carried out by a sheriff - and that some of you are so quick to pre-judge. May you be in their shoes next time. Open your eyes.
Yes, I''m sure they all probe as deeply as they are able.
What news!! We have the underage s e x scandal of the polygamists, the apology by the Pope for the s e x u a l violations perpretrated by Priests in the Catholic Church, and the s e x slavery inside of a Western Oklahoma jail perpretrated by the Sheriff. Amazing!!! Maybe we could run our society like a well managed cattle and dairy farm. We could select a few highly intelligent well-built men for sperm donation for artificial insemination purposes and castrate the rest. It appears there are a lot of men out there who don''t know how to keep it in their pants.
Posted by swwils at 05:07 AM : Apr 18, 2008
If he bails out, he will probably run.
Posted by Rational-1 at 10:22 AM : Apr 18, 2008
Yep. I was arrested and incarcerated for missing a court date, that I knew nothing about. It was for littering my own property over a city ordinance letter. I had corrected and cleaned up the property long before the court date.
No one else from the sheriff''s department appears to be implicated, Tidwell said. (fm article)
I find it difficult to believe that NO ONE ELSE---deputies, secretary, & spouses knows NOTHING about any of this sheriff''s activities?! How could that be?!
Or,---as is likely---everybody is just ''dummying up'' about it?! In that case, the deputies that to be charged as well!
This is an outrageous abuse of police authority and it demonstrates why citizens must ALWAYS retain the right to bear arms!
Posted by carpriddler at 11:55 AM : Apr 18, 2008
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My response: Excellent point! You''d think---due to the nature of the charges---and the willful violation of his oath as a law enforcement official---that he would be considered a serious ''flight'' risk!!
I doubt the average citizen would be released! I hope he doesn''t approach any of the witnesses against him and tries to terrorize or hurt them!! Maybe that''s why he was given bail, huh?!
Apparently many of you don''''t know the difference between JAIL and PRISON. Jail is where you are held (by the Sheriff) while waiting for a court hearing - BEFORE any trial, and BEFORE and determination of guilt of innocence. Prison is where you are sent AFTER a conviction (felony). The article clearly states these women were held in the JAIL - therefore they had NOT been convicted of anything. Even Journalists get this wrong (see the byline)---
In Oklahoma, persons can be incarcerated in the County Detention Centers (Jails) after conviction and while awaiting "space" and "transfer" to "prisons." Some County facilities use this as a money making venture. In addition it is possible to be sentenced to a year in County.
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