Pubdate: Thu, 06 Apr 2006
Source: Muskogee Daily Phoenix (OK)
Copyright: 2006 Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Contact: http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3319
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

DA SHOULD TAKE LEAVE AS INQUIRY CONTINUES

Allegations against District Attorney Richard Gray and his office, 
that it facilitated illegal drug distributions, are disturbing to say 
the least.

Though Gray has not been indicted, he should be forced to take 
administrative leave until these allegations have been thoroughly investigated.

The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office reported last week it would 
employ in a felony case intercepted messages from a cell phone used 
by one of Gray's former prosecutors, Janet Bickel. Bickel was 
indicted by a grand jury and charged with unlawful possession of 
methamphetamine and offering false evidence.

A second person in Gray's office, Vyrl Keeter, was indicted on a 
charge of asking a witness to lie to the grand jury. Keeter is on 
administrative leave.

Certainly, Keeter and Bickel are innocent until proven guilty, and 
Gray, for that matter is, too.

But the charges are more than a distraction and disruption to Gray's 
office, which is actually the office of the 27th District -- Adair, 
Cherokee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties. Serious questions about the 
competency and integrity of the office have been raised.

Now that the allegations have been made public, the residents of 
those counties would be better served with a replacement for Gray 
while the allegations are investigated.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman