Ex-Police Chief sentenced for soliciting repossession finder’s fees

Gets two years deferred for “taking a hundred bucks the hard way”

Hulbert, OK – December 15, 2021 – Former Hulbert Police Chief Casey Rowe received a two-year deferred sentence during a Dec. 2 court appearance.

Rowe appeared with his attorneys before Cherokee County District Judge Doug Kirkley.

A “confidential human source” allegedly paid Rowe $100 when he was trying to locate a repossessed vehicle. The CHS recorded the incident, and Cherokee County Sheriff Jason Chennault referred it to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The CHS and the FBI conducted a recorded operation, during which the source met with Rowe in May 2018. He reportedly paid Rowe $100 for the help in locating and repossessing a truck in Hulbert. In June 2018, the CHS and FBI conducted another recorded operation in which Rowe was paid $75 as a “finder’s fee” for help in finding and repossessing a vehicle in Hulbert.

Rowe’s attorney requested to quash his bribery case in July. Rowe was charged after he allegedly tried to solicit a “finder’s fee” payment.

Rowe’s attorneys filed a motion to quash the case due to insufficient evidence. However, Kirkley had denied that motion in August. Rowe pleaded not guilty to two counts of bribery during a district court arraignment in October.

According to the rules and conditions of Rowe’s deferment, he pleaded no contest to the two-year deferred sentence and was placed on unsupervised probation. Rowe must surrender his CLEET card, and cannot violate any statutes of state, tribal or federal government, or any municipal ordinances.

A deferred sentence is one that is delayed until after the defendant has completed a period of probation. That can include the stipulations of paying court costs and fines, performing community service, not committing any new crimes, attending classes, and passing drug and alcohol screenings.

If Rowe pays all of his fines and court costs, attends and completes required programs, and isn’t arrested or charged with another crime during the two years deferment, he can ask the court to expunge his record.

According to state statutes, when the defendant’s record is expunged, all references to his or her name are deleted from a docket sheet; the public index of the filing of the charge is expunged by deletion, mark-out or obliteration; and the court clerk keeps a separate confidential index of case numbers and names of defendants whose records have been expunged.

Source – Tahlequah Daily Press