Pawnee County Sheriff Suspended From Office

NewsOn6.com

PAWNEE, OKLAHOMA -- The Pawnee County Sheriff and a Pawnee County Commissioner face removal from office after a grand jury report was released Wednesday in a Pawnee County courtroom.

Read the Grand Jury's Final Report. 

The Pawnee County grand jury issued an accusation of removal for Pawnee County Sheriff Roger Price for willful neglect of duty and an accusation of removal for Pawnee County Commissioner Dale Vance for failure to properly administer public funds.

In addition, the grand jury issued felony indictments of perjury against Dale Vance and two misdemeanor indictments against Pawnee County Sheriff's deputy Thomas Moore for unlawful arrest and assault and battery.

The Pawnee County Court Clerk says both Sheriff Roger Price and County Commissioner Dale Vance have immediately been suspended from office pending civil litigation stemming from the accusations of removal. 

A hearing is set for October 8th. 

Special prosecutor in the case, Woodward County District Attorney Hollis Thorp, says Price is accused of letting a person out of jail without posting of a bond or a judge's consent.  He is also accused of not arresting a person who had an outstanding warrant, telling that person to go home.

Thorp says Vance is accused of pocketing money from the sale of county scrap metal instead of depositing it with the county treasurer's office.

Vance is currently out of state on vacation, according to Thorp.

Price was charged in early July with grand larceny and two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Following those charges, a grand jury was impaneled.

7/22/2010 Related story: Grand Jury To Investigate Pawnee County Sheriff

Price is accused of stealing a car-hauling trailer and driving two vehicles that were seized in drug arrests.

9/15/2010 Related story: Mystery Surrounds Missing Gun In Murder Of Late Pawnee County Sheriff