ARAPAHO, Okla., April 17, 2008

Prison Sex-Slave Operation Alleged

Oklahoma Law Man Faces 467 Years In Prison, Charged With Rape, Sodomy And Bribery

  •  (CBS/AP)

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(AP)  Authorities have charged a western Oklahoma sheriff with coercing and bribing female inmates so he could use them in a sex-slave operation run out of his jail.

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 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Add a Comment See all 66 Comments
by ranger1948 April 20, 2008 2:14 AM EDT
keithle1
We had a case in Missouri several years back. Aguy killed a 12 year old girl and two year old boy. Whe he got to jail the prisoners caught off his sack with a jagged can lid and flushed them down the toilet so they couldn''t sew them back on. Whoops the guards forgot to put him in isolation away from the other prisoners, *** happens. He got life without parole and is daily someone and everyone''s ***.
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by ranger1948 April 20, 2008 2:10 AM EDT
rudy654
I happen to think being called a redneck is something to be proud of. It means having integrity and principles. Now go look those two big words up in the dictionary so you will know what i am talking about.
It is people like you who slander this country and don''t have the balls to defend it. You will continue to hide behind your keyboard and spew your worthless nonsense that you think are facts.
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by rudy654-2009 April 19, 2008 9:59 PM EDT
Posted by ranger1948 at 05:54 AM

I think you need to take your mobility scooter and go to the bathroom, redneck!
Reply to this comment
by keithle1 April 19, 2008 3:50 PM EDT
Boy was just trying to get his freak on. Prison isn''t supposed to be fun. It''s punishment. You want HBO, room service & potpourri? Why don''t you try earning an honest living for a change? Then you won''t have to worry about being used like a blo wup s e x doll.
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by ranger1948 April 19, 2008 2:12 PM EDT
rudy654
Haven''t heard any more from you and yes i like women, but not the ones i am related to nor do i like to molest children as someone like you likes to do.
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by ranger1948 April 19, 2008 10:10 AM EDT
pfd572
I was going by the stories i have heard about him in the past. I like a lawman who doesn''t coddl prisoners. However i do not live in Arizona so i cannot commen on what he is really like as you can.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 9:42 AM EDT
About Sheriff Burgess. He is an anomaly. Most officers are proud, law-abiding and conscientious. He needs to be held to a higher standard as the senior officer in his community. No deals, no special treatment. This isn''t about prostitution, its about extortion, rape, battery, kidnapping and perjury.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 9:36 AM EDT
Next time I''m in trouble I want a liberal cop. The two aren''t mutually exclusive. Yes,liberal cops because they probably won''t infringe on my Constitutional rights, won''t dismiss a woman''s claim, will enforce the law as it is written and not the way they think it should be and won''t be trying to prove something about their manhood. Maybe a conservative officer, as long as he/she isn''t Neanderthal ultra-right conservative.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 9:23 AM EDT
Rational 1: sorry, but your facts are incorrect. Jails often are used to hold convicted prisoners. Maybe not in your area, but in other parts of the country. County jails in Arizona hold convicted prisoners for the duration of their sentence.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 9:17 AM EDT
ranger1948: unless you live here in Arizona, you have no idea what Joe ''McCarthy'' Arpaio is doing. He could possibly be as big a law-breaker as the Sheriff in this news story. He is a joke, an embarrassment, believes he can re-interpret the Constitution as he goes along and is expensive to the taxpayers. The number of lawsuits filed against him and won is way over $100 million. He uses methods that aren''t even allowed against foreign combatants, trust me, the list is endless. He is a headline ***, sending out multiple press releases every day. He is now profiling and using tactics that are being investigated by the Federal Government for locating illegal immigrants, in the process denying CITIZENS who happen to look hispanic the same rights as everyone else, while at the same time deputies aren''t available to serve/process thousands of arrest warrants for violent criminals, dead beat dads, child abusers and other criminals with real victims. I am no fan of uncontrolled illegal immigration, but he shouldn''t be anyone''s hero.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 8:59 AM EDT
guess it should be OK for the Clintons to make $109M, but be enraged that my gun dealer makes $40 per firearm purchased
Posted by Glock4me at 10:35 PM : Apr 17, 2008

No you should be enraged that there are loopholes that gun dealers/sellers use to sell to individuals that should not legally own a gun, including mentally ill, domestic abusers and violent felons, through gun shows and private sales. You should be enraged at the incomplete Federal Data Base for checking gun purchasers. The only reason bush''s income wasn''t in the millions is he is required by law as a government official who could influence prices/law to place any income in a trust that cannot be touched or the activities known to the eventual beneficiary. Once again, your ignorance is immense.
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by ranger1948 April 19, 2008 8:54 AM EDT
rudy654
Since logic always fails to work on you lets do this personally. Let me know where you are hiding and we will see if you can shut me up once we are face to face. I know you will do nothing as all you do is run your mouth. You don''t have the guts to fight for your country or stand up for it. Inbred idiots like you could not hold a lite to the little toe of one of these women. In fact you would be afraid to faxce then as they would kick your butt from here to China. So if you have what it takes bring it on you snot nosed little weasel.
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by pfd572 April 19, 2008 8:39 AM EDT
Glock4me: Now I now you are completely ignorant. Liberals far more trusting of the government than conservatives. That has to be one of the most absurd things you have ever said. Who is responsible for the Patriot Act and giving unprecedented powers to the government? Conservatives. Who has said to me ''the government has no reason to lie to us''? A conservative. Which party do most senior military belong to? Conservatives Who has constantly said you need to question authority? Liberals Who lobbies, protests and campaigns for a change to the abuses in government? Liberals Who have fought valiantly to rescind the governments most illegal and intrusive act? Liberals. You really showed your ignorance on this one. Even my very conservative brother laughed at you and called you a clueless idiot. But the more you make stupid, ignorant comments, the more people will see through you.
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by rudy654-2009 April 19, 2008 7:44 AM EDT
rudy654
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.


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Posted by ranger1948 at 06:31 AM

Shut up ranger rick. You know you like your women barefoot and pregnant. Don''t act like your above that krap, and don''t act like you didn''t understand the message, you freek.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 April 19, 2008 7:41 AM EDT
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. Posted by ranger1948 at 06:27 AM

OH don''t apologize Ranger Ricky, because you just showed your true colors. You decided to distinguish between liberals and cops. So don''t tell me about a backwater, inbred mentality, because Rick, that''s you. And you were never a cop, ever. I still work with the police Ricky, and I know which ones are okay and which ones are wicked.
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by gce65 April 19, 2008 4:02 AM EDT
Oklahoma?
The only thing that comes from Oklahoma are steers and queeers! I don''t see any horns on Senators Coburn and Inhofe; so they MUST be queers!

Or is this part of the Republi-con''s free market approach to reviving our economy?
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by straightmate April 19, 2008 1:08 AM EDT
I suggest more investigation into MANY other law enforcement officers throughout the midwest I assure endless dirt. Many decent people doing their jobs but tons of toxic waste just like this punk.
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by veteran72 April 19, 2008 12:42 AM EDT
Don''t worry, Sheriff. Bush will pardon you.
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by raskal_2 April 18, 2008 7:13 PM EDT
Now this good old boy country Sheiff is going to jail where he will be the *** slave...
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by culturechang April 18, 2008 6:34 PM EDT
I wonder if any were in jail for human trafficking (i.e. *** slavery as the call it)? Seems these women would have had better protection outside the jail. It would be easier to escape.
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