Inola Woman Says Ex-Husband Torments Her, Deserves Prison

An Inola woman says she can't get any justice in a case where her ex-husband has followed her, tracked her, harassed her online and assaulted her.

She says the Rogers County Sheriff's Office takes reports and makes arrests, but the cases don't go anywhere.

The victim says she's been living in hell for the past 18 months. She says arrests won't stop him. Protective orders won't stop him. And she's afraid the worst will happen next.

Kathy Higgins said when she married George Thomas, everything was great.

"Everyone loved him… my kids loved him," Higgins said. "My grandchildren loved him."

She said things changed last year and got so bad, she left him in April and things got worse.

She claims he put turpentine on her clothes, put Karo syrup in her gas tank and threw a rock through her home window.

He paid for the damages but didn't stop. She says he's posted terrible things online about her and her family.

"It was getting worse and worse," Higgins said. "He was tracking me, following me, telling me everything I'm doing."

Higgins said Thomas sent an email to her sister last June, saying her house could burn down and that's exactly what happened four months later, although there was no evidence to tie him to the crime.

The next month, she said he got his truck nose to nose with her car and slammed into it not once, but three times, head-on.

"It was deliberate, especially when I looked at him and said please George, please George, no," she said. "He just continued and continued."

Rogers County deputies say they've had 12 contacts with Thomas in the past year, including three arrests and nine violations of protective order.

Each time they forward the cases to the district attorney, Thomas spends a few nights in jail and gets out and does it again, they said.

Deputies also are frustrated.

"He has a feeling of invincibility and he's above the law in this case, and he's not," RCSO Deputy Daniel Welch said.

After all this, Kathy learned Thomas is getting plea deal on July 9 in veterans court. She says the deal allows him to do community service and get counseling through Veterans Affairs, and if he messes up after that, he could get 10 years in prison.

She thinks it's a slap on the wrist and would rather see him go to prison now and get counseling there.

"I thought the DA was for me," she said. "The DA is for me and it sounds like they're just worried about what feelings George has."

George Thomas' attorney says this whole situation has been blown out of proportion. He says his client works every day, he's a good person and what he needs for his mental health issues is counseling. The attorney said Thomas will get that through the veteran's program and it's the perfect alternative.

He maintains his client doesn't need to be in prison; he just needs some help.

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Kathy Higgins' Domestic Case Timeline, provided by RCSO:

April 4, 2013: Deputies called to home of George Thomas and Kathy Higgins for a domestic assault. Both subjects had minor scratches. She left the residence.

April 12, 2013: Violation of protective order. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

October 18, 2013: Threaten to perform an act of violence. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

November 14, 2013: Assault with a deadly weapon, violation of protective order, obstructing an officer and resisting arrest. Thomas arrested.

January 6, 2014: Protective order violation. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

January 23, 2014: Protective order violation. Thomas arrested. Search warrant served on his phone. Evidence found implicating Thomas violated the protective order.

February 15, 2014: Protective order violation. Report taken and forwarded to DA.

March 6, 2014: Protective order violation. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

March 14, 2014: Protective order violation. Stalking warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

April 12, 2014: Protective order violation. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

May 24, 2014: Protective order violation/harassment. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.

June 19, 2014: Protective order violation/harassment. Warrant initiated and forwarded to DA.