May 2022

El Reno police are reviewing body and dash cam footage after a video of an officer arresting a 17-year-old male drew social media criticism.

Police Chief Ken Brown said the veteran officer has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Brown said about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, police received calls of a vehicle in the Lake El Reno area traveling at excessive speeds and in an unsafe manner. Reports said the vehicle was traveling at about 90 miles per hour and some people were hanging outside the vehicle, police said.

Canadian County commissioners will consider changing the scope of a construction project at the historic county jail.

District 3 Commissioner Jack Stewart suggested the board could consider using a construction manager to “manage the process.”

“We might ought to look at taking a different approach,” Stewart said at last week’s commissioners meeting.

Commissioners recently solicited bids for repairs to an extensively damaged roof on the county-owned structure, which was built between 1908 and 1913.

The El Reno Public School Foundation recently awarded 2021-2022 scholarships to El Reno High School graduates.

The scholarships include the Wilbur and Jean Gardner Scholarship, Gaylord and Barbara Reuter Scholarship, Ryan Tinsley Memorial Scholarship, Richard Steanson Honorary Scholarship and the Hutchison Family Memorial Scholarship.

“Since its inception, our scholarship endowments through the El Reno Public School Foundation have awarded over $200,000 in scholarships to El Reno High School graduates,” said foundation member Chad Neathery.

A wake for Russell Keith Lumpmouth was held Thursday, May 26 in the Benson Memorial Chapel, with funeral services on Friday, May 27 at Wesley United Methodist Church with Pastor Allen Carson and Vernon Yarholar officiating. Burial was in the El Reno Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Keith died May 22, 2022, at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was born April 12, 1964, in Lawton. He was raised in El Reno, graduating from El Reno High School in 1982. He was a truck driver mostly in the oil field industry and a member of the Native American Church.

To fulfill a patient’s last request, the Redlands Community College Academic Team held a drive collecting teddy bears to give to all Russell-Murray Hospice patients.

“Redlands has a close partnership with Russell-Murray Hospice, and when we learned a patient’s final wish was that all other patients would have a teddy bear to hug, we knew we wanted to help,” said Cherry Rain, coach of the Academic Team.

Joel Dewayne Wakefield, 70, of Chandler, passed away Saturday, May 21, 2022, in Oklahoma City. Joel was born June 12, 1951, in El Reno to Jack Wakefield and Carrie (McAffee) Wakefield and lived there until he moved to Chandler in 1989. Joel married his high school sweetheart, Carol Owens in February 1971.

He worked for the railroad for 10 years and joined the 45th Infantry Brigade 1970 where he served 38 years. Joel retired from active duty as a Master Sergeant (E-8) in 2009 after serving one year in Iraq during Iraqi Freedom.

An all-night wake for James Daniel Whitlow will be held Monday, May 30 at the Concho Emergency Response Center beginning at 7 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with interment at the Concho Indian Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home. His aunt, Rev. Joan Swallow, will officiate the wake and funeral services.

James passed away May 18, 2022, at his home in Northglenn, Colo. He was born June 14, 1956, in Chicago, Ill. He was raised in Kingfisher but also lived in Tulsa, El Reno and Denver, Colo.

Douglas Campbell, 84, of El Reno, passed away May 21, 2022. He was born Sept. 23, 1937, in Geary to Bert (Eagle Bird) and Myra (White Buffalo) Campbell.

He was one of the original members of the Star Hawk Society. He was also one of the original parents who first started the graduation banquet for Kingfisher High School graduates.

Douglas was also one of the designing persons for the Cheyenne and Arapaho emblem that is used today. He also worked on the Alaskan pipeline in the 1970s.

Funeral services for Charles Eugene (Ram) Pendley of Tuttle were held Friday at the First Assembly of God Church in Tuttle with Rev. Larry Harris officiating. Services were under the direction of Huber-Reynolds Funeral Home in Minco.

Ram died May 24, 2022, at the Select Specialty Hospital in Oklahoma City. He was born Sept. 26, 1944, in Minco. He was raised in the Minco community until moving to Tuttle in 1957.

Ram started in the oil and natural gas industry as a young man and was a bit distributor until his retirement.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The governor last week signed into law a bill that will get help to students in mental health crisis or who are considering suicide.

House Bill 4106 by Rep. Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso, directs public school districts to develop and maintain a protocol, in partnership with one or more local mental health treatment providers certified by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (DMHSAS), to respond to students in mental health crisis to prevent suicide, self-harm and harm to others.