By Liz McMahan
OKAY — The Okay Board of Trustees voted unanimously Thursday night to dismiss its police force: Chief Ron Lee and Officer Matthew C. Pruegert.
Pruegert was arrested early Thursday by Wagoner police on complaints of driving under the influence and carrying a firearm during commission of a crime. Pruegert was driving an Okay police car and wearing his gun and badge and a uniform shirt at the time, said Wagoner Police Chief Terry Hornbuckle.
Radio dispatch logs from the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office show the office received a complaint that Lee and Pruegert were drinking and driving Okay police cars in Okay.
Wagoner police arrested Pruegert at a Wagoner convenience store as he answered a call to relieve a county officer who had been guarding a mental health patient from Okay at Wagoner Community Hospital.
Lee and Pruegert said the allegations they were drinking on the job were untrue.
“No, no, no, no,” Lee said in an interview. “I was not drinking or in any of the vehicles last night or anything like that.”
“I’ve got a lot of pride, and this right here is tearing it down,” Pruegert told the trustees. “I wouldn’t be out driving and drinking in the car. I was not intoxicated when that happened last night.”
Pruegert said he had quit as a police officer before making the call and had left his badge on a desk in the police department.
He said he went on the call because he felt that chaos was breaking out and he wanted to help out.
Pruegert said he had been an unpaid reserve officer for Okay for several months and had been on the town’s payroll for about two weeks.
The trustees’ 5-0 vote came after a 12-minute executive session at a special meeting of the board.
Trustee Deborah Morrow moved both be dismissed “for the betterment of the community.”
The two officers were told to turn in their guns and badges immediately and meet today with Trustees Michelle Bond and Elden McCullough for an inventory.
Lee said he would refuse to meet with McCullough.
“I don’t have to worry about Elden stabbing me in the back anymore,” Lee said. “I don’t have to worry about anything else he does.”
McCullough has encouraged the trustees to dismiss Lee, 33, for several months, particularly after Lee’s arrest on a charge of a public official neglecting duty. He was convicted on that charge in September by a Wagoner County District Court jury and was sentenced to a $250 fine plus payment of court costs in a Wednesday court appearance.
McCullough answered Lee’s remarks, saying Lee was the one under accusation, not him.
The misdemeanor charge against Lee stemmed from an incident in which he failed to arrest Dustin Chancellor at the Okay Police Department after the two had a fight there. Lee knew at the time there was an outstanding warrant for Chancellor.
Charges were not filed against Pruegert on Thursday in Wagoner County District Court. He was released from Wagoner County Detention Center after posting $3,000 bond.
Mayor Clarence Ashley said that until new police officers are hired, the town will ask the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office to help enforce laws in Okay.
Chronology
A timeline of events leading up the arrest and booking of Okay Police Officer Matthew Pruegert, including information from the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office radio log:
Wednesday
11:51 p.m. — County Deputy Dustin Dorr transports mental health patient to Wagoner hospital.
Thursday
12:05 a.m. — Donna Merrill calls dispatcher to say Okay Police Chief Ron Lee and Officer Matthew Pruegert were at the E-Z Mart getting gas. Merrill said she had stopped to get gas and Pruegert attempted to punch the guy that was giving her a ride. Merrill said she could smell alcohol on them and believed they are intoxicated.
12:06 a.m. — Lee called by telephone and said he and Pruegert were at the E-Z Mart and that Merrill said Lee did not need to go to the emergency room. Dispatch told Lee that he still needed to go, that Dorr was there waiting on him.
12:08 a.m. — Contacted Pruegert and asked his location. He said he was passing the blueberry farm on Oklahoma 16. Dorr told Wagoner Police Department that Lee, possibly Pruegert, would be en route to Wagoner and that they are possibly intoxicated. The police department said they would inform a unit.
12:15 a.m. — Pruegert called from the Okay City Hall and advised that he had a blowout and that Dorr could take care of it, and he hung up.
12:25 a.m. — Dorr asked dispatcher to call Lee and tell him that he needs to get to the hospital emergency room. Dispatch attempted to contact Lee’s cell phone and Lee’s boyfriend answered and told dispatch that Lee and Pruegert are at the Okay Police Department drunk. Lee’s boyfriend said he wants to file a complaint, and they are very intoxicated driving their patrol cars around.
1 a.m. — Dorr told the dispatcher to call Pruegert and tell him that if he can’t contact Lee, that Pruegert needs to go to Wagoner emergency room to take care of the mental health patient. Dispatcher told Pruegert that Dorr needs him to go to the ER. Pruegert said he was at home sleeping and that he will have to get dressed. Dispatcher told Dorr what Pruegert said.
2:20 a.m. — Wagoner police said they have Pruegert, he is intoxicated, and Chief Terry Hornbuckle is en route to the location. Sheriff’s dispatcher called Lee and said Wagoner police are out with Pruegert. Lee told dispatcher he is going to try to get a reserve to head to the hospital to meet Dorr. Lee said he would call back and let the dispatcher know if he had found a reserve officer. Dispatcher asked Lee if he was going to be able to go, and Lee said he was having difficulties. Dispatcher asked Lee if it was a blowout, and Lee said yes and started laughing.
3:30 a.m. — Wagoner police book Pruegert into jail.
Reach Liz McMahan at 918-684-2926 orClick Here to Send Email
