We have written about the Tyler Paulsen case for several years now. Now the case has taken an interesting turn with an allegedly stolen gun winding up in the custody of the Adair Police Department, a Mayes County town, but the gun initially wasn't an issue in the traffic stop for speeding and suspended license until months after the initial traffic stop/arrest/
The saga started off simple enough, a mentally unstable person named Vannessa Edwards calls the Broken Arrow police on her boyfriend who is passed out after a argument. We can say she is unstable because the man that eventually prosecuted the case later said she was crazy and if he had to spend ten minutes with her they would have to call a SWAT team on him too. But her view appears to be to get her boyfriend out of his home so she could clean out the place as she left and to ensure custody of their child.
In the process a Glock 40 was taken by Vannessa. How do we know that? Because we have a letter from an attorney seeking to recover the stolen weapon from Vannessa dated January 24th 2017.
Eventually a plea deal was done even though the D.A. prosecuting the case knew the woman was crazy as a shit house mouse. But no gun rights were lost by Paulsen, none of that was on his paperwork and it always is if gun rights are taken away. Later the entire case was dismissed and declared ab inito, void, as if it had never happened. With the guy never having been judged a felon nor making a plea deal, the gun charge was illegal itself. Not in Mayes County. Now this is no different than my case back in 2013, once dismissed, it legally never happened.
About nine months later Adair police officer Nathan Godard stops Tyler Paulsen speeding past a convenience store and makes a traffic stop. Two charges were filed: Case # E03868 was for speeding, 11 to 14 mph over the speed limit, with a fine of $123.00, and Case # E03869 was for Driving Under Suspension, with a fine of $545.00. Paulsen paid the costs of both tickets after pleading guilty to both charges and left without his car as it had been impounded for his license being a few days past expiration. Paulsen returned a few days later with a renewed license and got his car out of impound.
On October 2nd 2017 arresting officer Nathan Godard had filled out and signed a Mayes County Jail Booking Form listing two charges, speeding and DUS, Driving Under Suspension. At the bottom of the form is a reminder to file all probable cause affidavits for all charges without pre set bonds. Godard had also written a probable cause affidavit for the two charges, speeding and DUS, with a casual mention of a firearm that was in the car at the time of impoundment.
Now Paulsen had already paid the fines and in most cases after pleading guilty and paying the fines that is the end of the case. The court stamps case closed and the city has their money. This case was unique in that there was a corrupt Wagoner County Commissioner involved in an embezzling case, involved as allegedly embezzling about a million dollars from Paulsen.
On December 6th 2017 Wagoner County Commissioner James Hanning emails Adair police department Chief Parman giving him an email address to send the Paulsen arrest report to. Here you are over two months later, after the fines have been paid, the Chief of Police is sending the traffic stop report/arrest report via email.
At some point months later a second probable cause affidavit was filed by Godard identical to the first two charge affidavit with an added paragraph that mentioned Wagoner County and the firearm being illegally possessed. No date is listed on the affidavit.
Then at some point prior to April 12th of 2018 a third probable cause affidavit is filed and signed by Nathan Godard. But the affidavit isn't notarized as required by law.
Then seven months after the original traffic stop, on April 12th of 2018, the arresting officer, Nathan Godard, submits a fourth probable cause affidavit listing the two charges of speeding and driving under suspension and a new charge, having possession of a firearm while on probation. This time the affidavit is actually notarized.
Four separate probable cause affidavits for the same crime, all different, three filed months after the original probable cause affidavit was filed.
And what is interesting is that the gun in question had been the subject of the letter sent by Paulsen's attorney seeking the stolen Glock 40 handgun.
How does a stolen gun turn back up in the car? Why were four probable cause affidavits written with only the last one notarized? Why did Wagoner County Commissioner James Hanning get involved with the case two months after the fine had been paid and the case closed?
More next week.
