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Fbi Most Wanted Drug Dealers

At age 50, the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list has international criminals not seen in earlier decades. And it appears on the Internet now, not just in newspapers.

The changes have heightened the FBI's enthusiasm for the program, which celebrated its 50th anniversary Tuesday and was lauded by the bureau as a partnership among the public, the media and law enforcement.

Since 1950, 458 people have been listed and 429 of them have been captured. Tips from citizens are credited with 137 of the apprehensions.

Within Oklahoma City there have been five apprehensions, some the result of citizen tips, says Richard A. Marquise, special agent in charge of the FBI in Oklahoma.

One Oklahoma apprehension was Ruth Eisemann-Schier, the first woman every placed on the list. The Oklahoma Division of the FBI has placed eight fugitives on the list.

Local Top Ten cases over the year have included Garland Rex Brinlee, a convicted murder who escaped from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary; Theodore Richard Byrd Jr., who was convicted of interstate transportation of stolen property; Chester Lee Davenport, an escapee convicted of robbing a police officer; John Gibson Dillon, a convicted drug dealer who failed to appear for sentencing; Joseph William Dougherty, a convicted murderer; and Ben Golden McCollum, an escapee who was convicted of robbery with a firearm. All were apprehended after being placed on the Top Ten List.

"It's been a tremendous success because of the media's interest and the public's interest," said Deputy FBI Director Thomas Pickard, dedicating an updated most-wanted exhibit on the public tour at bureau headquarters.

The Most Wanted Internet page is credited with a major role in the 1996 apprehension of Leslie Isben Rogge after six years on the list, Pickard noted. The 56-year-old bank robber eluded capture by living under an assumed name in Guatemala until a 14-year-old American boy there, whose computer Rogge had hooked up as a favor, found his wanted picture on the Internet.

Pickard said the list has changed with crime trends. The 1950s list contained mostly bank robbers, burglars and car thieves. During the political turmoil of the 1960s, destruction of government property, sabotage and kidnapping emerged as more frequent charges. By the 1970s, organized crime figures and terrorists dominated the list. These days, the list regularly includes international terrorists, major international drug dealers, anti-abortionists charged with lethal violence, and organized crime figures.

The FBI offers a $50,000 reward for any tip that leads to an arrest.

Hearing location settled

An Oklahoma County top judge has settled the issue of the location for Terry Nichols' preliminary hearing.

In an order Monday, Judge Bryan Dixon moved the hearing from the county courthouse to a small courtroom at Oklahoma County's Juvenile Justice Center.

"By making this assignment to a smaller building, we will be able to save thousands of valuable taxpayer dollars by reducing the number of deputy sheriffs and equipment needed to provide security," Dixon wrote.

Nichols' preliminary hearing is to begin Aug. 7. Its purpose is to see if there is enough evidence against him for a state murder trial.

Dixon's decision resolves a controversy that began when defense attorneys complained that a makeshift courtroom in the basement of the county jail was unsuitable. The Canadian County courthouse in El Reno was being considered, but prosecutors pushed to stay in Oklahoma County.

They found four judges willing to loan their courtrooms at the Oklahoma County courthouse. On Friday, the preliminary hearing judge, Robert M. Murphy Jr., agreed to move it there unless Dixon objected.

In his order, Dixon wrote that he rejected the courthouse because thousands of citizens visit it and the adjacent county offices every workday. He wrote that they would face long lines "in the hot summer heat" at security checkpoints "waiting to be cleared to enter these buildings.

"This creates an unreasonable and unnecessary burden to place on our citizens seeking to obtain justice in the courts or service from their county government," Dixon wrote.

Fewer than 50 people will be able to watch from the seven benches in the courtroom used for delinquents.

Nichols, 44, was given a life sentence after his federal conviction for plotting to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. He was charged again in Oklahoma County last year so prosecutors can seek the death penalty.

Don't deal drugs

House Bill 2415 would impose harsh punishment on narcotics traffickers.

For example, a judge would be authorized to take a child from a parent convicted of manufacturing a controlled dangerous substance if the child was present during the crime.

A conviction for manufacturing narcotics, a second conviction of trafficking in illegal drugs, or a second conviction of cultivation of plants "from which controlled dangerous substances may be derived," would condemn the criminal to serve at least 85 percent of a prison sentence "prior to becoming eligible for consideration for parole.

A drug peddler's home, furniture, clothing, and even the person's cemetery plot, could be seized by and forfeited to the government "if the property was used in the manufacture or cultivation" of a controlled dangerous substance.

The fine for manufacturing or distributing five grams or more of "a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount" of amphetamine or methamphetamine would be $25,000 to $200,000, and the fine for possessing 50 grams or more would be $50,000 to $500,000.

The House sent the proposal to the Senate on a 92-8 vote.

House members also endorsed a six-point drug enforcement and eradication proposal.

House Bill 1860 would strengthen penalties for anyone convicted of manufacturing or distributing controlled dangerous substances. The bill also includes additional funding for municipal and county drug eradication equipment.

House Bill 1860 passed the House by a vote of 83-14 and was referred to the Senate.

Known as "Deep 6" (Drug Enforcement and Eradication Plan), the proposal would:

* Require anyone convicted of manufacture or sale of controlled dangerous substances to serve 85 percent of his/her prison sentence.

* Prevent suspended or deferred sentences or probation for anyone convicted of selling drugs to minors.

* Increase the driver's license suspension period for anyone convicted of a drug-related crime. A minor's license would be suspended for three years or until he/she turned 21, whichever is greater. The driver's license suspension period for an adult convicted of manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance would start after the prison term served.

* Deny an appeal bond for anyone convicted of manufacture or sale of controlled substances.

* Strengthen the law on property forfeiture for drug convictions, by removing the exception on homesteads.

* Provide a $10 million state grant program for city and county law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers and purchase equipment resources for drug prevention.

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