The problems with the judicial system is no more apparent than evidenced by the sad events of this weekend.
Families and friends are grieving because a sex offender who broke the law while in prison was allowed to walk out of that prison while still facing two sex felony charges.
“This didn’t have to happen,” said an angry Henryetta police chief. Steve Norman was a member of the District 25 Violent Crimes Task Force that had to see the brutality first hand.
“He was a serial offender, yet he was allowed to be free on charges that should have kept him behind bars."
Jesse McFadden was serving 20 years for rape in Pittsburg County and was being kept at the Jess Dunn Correctional Center in Taft. While there he was able to get a cell phone and immediately got in touch with a teenage girl and eventually swapped nude photos and videos.
That earned him a felony charge of Soliciting sexual conduct/communication with a minor by use of technology in 2017 - three years before he was to be released on the original rape sentence.
Six preliminary hearings were held between April, 2018 and March, 2019.
He had three arraignments that same year and a jury trial ordered in September. Another jury trial was ordered in June, 2020 then a bench warrant for failure to appear issued that November.
Looking at the court records, it was a case of wash, rinse and repeat for the next three years before he failed to appear for a jury trial this Monday. Of course he had a good excuse for not being there.
Norman says McFadden should have been kept in jail and not allowed to be walking free.
“Had he been in jail where he belonged, we would have not had this tragedy in our town. I am angry about it and think everyone would be just as angry.”