Tom Fink
Staff Reporter
CLAREMORE —
Sheriff’s officers are hoping the recent arrest of two Rogers County men will halt a recent bout of burglaries.
Rocky Ward, 25, of Oologah, and Jason Conrad Lewis, 35, of Claremore were arrested on unrelated burglary charges over the weekend on charges including burglary in the second degree, knowingly concealing stolen property, and other miscellaneous charges.
According to sheriff’s records, the investigations began on Wednesday, Aug. 25 with the report of a burglary at a Claremore transmission shop.
“The caller indicated an assortment of tools had been stolen, but they were suspicious of a recently-hired employee who failed to show up for work on the day after the burglary,” said Johnny O’Mara, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office. “Shop owners had found that employee Rocky Ward had previous run-ins with the law, which — coupled with Ward’s absence after the burglary — led them to suspect him in the thefts.”
The following day, the sheriff’s department received a report of a man matching Ward’s description who was dumping a dirt bike in a rural Claremore area.
Although the suspect was gone when sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene, O’Mara said Ward shortly returned to the site, and reportedly admitted to taking the dirt bike, as well as burglarizing the transmission shop and taking an electric scooter during a burglary at a trailer manufacturing company, O’Mara said.
“Ward also was in possession of a controlled and dangerous substance when he was interviewed, and the scooter was later recovered at his residence,” O’Mara said.
Ward was arrested and booked into Rogers County Jail on charges of Burglary in the Second Degree (two counts), Knowingly Concealing Stolen Property, Larceny of Motor Vehicle, and Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS).
Another burglary resulting in an arrest also came on Saturday, Aug. 28
“Deputy (Cory) Lawhorn responded to a burglary report in the Foyil area,” O’Mara said. “Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Lawhorn reported the house had been ‘completely ransacked.’ He later interviewed a witness, who was able to provide a description of a vehicle which had been at the residence.”
While later on patrol, Lawhorn observed a vehicle which matched the description of that provided him by the witness, at a residence within a mile from that of the victim.
“Deputy Lawhorn obtained consent from this resident’s occupant, Jason Conrad Lewis, and determined that the items taken in the nearby burglary were inside this second residence,” O’Mara said. “Deputy Lawhorn then arrested Lewis and booked him into Rogers County Jail on charges of Knowingly Concealing Stolen Property, Burglary in the Second Degree, Possession of a Firearm after the Former Conviction of a Felony, and Possession Ammunition After the Former Conviction of a Felony.”
While O’Mara said the arrests of Lewis and Ward were unrelated to one another, it is possible there could be a connection with a recent “rash of burglaries” in Rogers County.
Rogers County Sheriff’s Investigator Lt. Adam Hull said the department has been responding to an “inordinate” amount of burglary reports in recent months.
“Someone is definitely working over Rogers County,” Lt. Hull said. “We’re doing everything we can to get ahead with these burglaries, but it’s going to take good old-fashioned police work to end them and to identify the suspect or suspects.”
Lt. Hull said Lewis was a “person of interest” in several recent area burglaries.
Persons with any information regarding burglaries or other crimes are encouraged to contact the Rogers County Sheriff’s tip line at 41-3620. Callers may remain anonymous.
