Two Catoosa City Officials Arrested on Federal Drug Charges
Acting United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward announced that federal arrest warrants were served today in the Catoosa area resulting in the arrests of two City of Catoosa officials for involvement in the illegal possession and distribution of controlled drugs.
Paul Richard Whitmire, 44, Assistant Police Chief of Catoosa, faces three counts of Obtaining Hydrocodone by Misrepresentation, Deception, Fraud and Subterfuge. The charges, contained in a federal indictment returned by a Grand Jury yesterday and unsealed today, accuses Whitmire of obtaining hydrocodone by deception on January 16, February 20 and March 2, 2009. A separate indictment charges Phyllis June Matthews, 55, City Court Clerk for Catoosa, with three counts of Distribution of Hydrocodone that allegedly occurred on October 8, November 12 and November 20, 2009.
After their arrests this morning both defendants made an initial appearance in federal magistrate’s court in Tulsa at 2:00 p.m., where they were each released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. A trial date will be set by the Court at a later date.
The prosecution of this case in federal court in Tulsa will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jan Reincke. The investigation was conducted and the arrests were made by officers from law enforcement agencies in Rogers County.
A Grand Jury indictment is one method of charging a defendant with alleged violations of Federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome the defendant’s presumption of innocence.
