McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

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  • McAlester High School Basketball Coach and Assistant High School Principal Jerry McCormick is shown speaking to the McAlester News-Capital in this file photo. File photo by Kandra Wells

    Coach Jerry McCormick

  • Michelle McCormick Submitted

    Michelle McCormick
February 19, 2011

McAlester coach: Dispute over dogs escalated to arrests, charges

By James Beaty Senior Editor

McALESTER — A McAlester high school basketball coach and assistant administrator uses the example of two dogs with the same name to illustrate what he considers an innocent action that resulted in a criminal accusation.

Jerry McCormick, 44, the head basketball coach and vice principal at McAlester High School, has already had a felony charge accusing him of intimidating a witness dismissed by the courts.

His wife, Michelle McCormick, still faces a charge and the case is currently set for trial on the March jury docket in Pittsburg County District Court. Michelle McCormick is a sixth grade teacher at Parker.

Among the complaints made against Michelle McCormick is “stalking in violation of probation condition/protective order.”

The stalking charge is in connection with alleged incidents involving two McAlester families: Brent and Brenda Lopresto and Daniel and Ami Talbot.

Brenda Lopresto is the principal at Emerson Elementary School in McAlester.

Daniel Talbot is a McAlester police officer.

While the three families were neighbors when the problems began, Jerry McCormick said he and his family have now moved because of the disputes.

The case involves a long series of complaints and counter-complaints, accusations and counter accusations.

If the case goes to trial as scheduled, a jury will have the job of sorting it all out.

Jerry McCormick had declined to make a statement at the time of his arrest last year on the complaint which was subsequently dismissed.

He recently told the News-Capital he had some things he wanted to say.

The News-Capital has declined to print any of the personal accusations alleging harassment some of those involved in both sides of the case have made about the others, using instead court documents or other legal papers to track the allegations in the case.

That said, Jerry McCormick referred to an item filed in an affidavit in connection with the charge against his wife.

The affidavit alleges that on April 2, the Loprestos and their daughter walked out of their house “And Michelle was at the street corner with her Boxer” and began calling the Lopresto’s Yorkie. The Loprestos went back inside. Their Yorkie was not outside at the time, according to the affidavit.

Jerry McCormick said his wife had not been calling the Loprestos’ Yorkie, who he said is named Bella, but had instead been calling the McCormick’s Boxer — which has the same name.

“They were correct in that Michelle was calling out Bella because that is the name of our Boxer that we adopted from Dr. Renegar in March 2010,” McCormick said.

To back up his contention that he also has a dog named Bella, McCormick has a signed statement from McAlester veterinarian Dr. Brian Renegar, who is also the District 17 state representative.

“In  March of 2010. Mr. and Mrs. McCormick adopted a female boxer from our clinic,” Renegar said in the statement.

“When the dog was left with us by previous owners to be put up for adoption, we were informed her name was Bella. We transferred this new information to the new owners at the time of adoption.”

Renegar confirmed to the News-Capital that he had signed the statement, that Bella had been the Boxer’s name and that he had passed that information on to the McCormicks.

He said older dogs which are no longer puppies often have an easier time becoming acclimated to a new home if they are called by the name with which they’re familiar.

Jerry McCormick says the whole problem between him and two other families began when his dog relieved itself on a neighbor’s lawn.

From there the matter escalated.

For more on this story, see Sunday's print edition of the McAlester News-Capital.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

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