Two Catoosa City Officials Arrested on Federal Drug Charges

Two city of Catoosa officials, including the assistant police chief, were served with federal arrest warrants Thursday for possession and distribution of drugs, according to acting United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward.

Paul Richard Whitmire, 44, the assistant police chief, faces three counts of "obtaining hydrocodone by misrepresentation, deception, fraud and subterfuge," according to a federal statement. The charges are contained in a federal indictment returned by a Grand Jury yesterday and unsealed Thursday.

Whitmore is accused of obtaining hydrocodone by deception on Jan. 16, Feb. 20 and March 2, 2009, according to the press release.

A separate indictment charges Phyllis June Matthews, 55, City Court Clerk for Catoosa, with three counts of "distribution of Hydrocodone" that allegedly occurred on Oct. 8, Novv. 12 and Nov. 20, 2009, the release said.

After their arrests this morning both defendants made an initial appearance in federal magistrate’s court in Tulsa, where they were each released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. A trial date will be set by the Court at a later date.

The investigation was conducted and the arrests were made by officers from law enforcement agencies in Rogers County.

A Grand Jury indictment is one method of charging a defendant with alleged violations of Federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome the defendant’s presumption of innocence.