McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

August 14, 2008

Criticism rankles district attorney

By James Beaty

The district attorney claims he is a victim and he wants something done about it.

Documents obtained by the McAlester News-Capital show that District 18 District Attorney Jim Bob Miller has filed an offense report with the McAlester Police Department against Harold King.

King operates www.mccooler.net, the McAlester Watercooler, where comments critical of Miller have been posted.

An offense report filed with police lists Miller as the person who reported the complaint to McAlester police and lists the phone number of the district attorney’s office.

The report lists King as the suspect.

The offense description in the report cites a state statute and follows with a description of the offense as a communication “to any person of a false rumor or report of a slanderous nature, slander.”

A narrative report states “Victim said the suspect is criminally libel for his comments and other people’s comments on the ‘mccooler.’”

Meanwhile, a subpoena delivered by McAlester police to King earlier this week orders him to produce the names, addresses and other identifiers of 35 people who have posted on the McAlester Watercooler Web site.

It also requests the Social Security numbers “of the bloggers.”

King said today that he had never been informed when delivered the subpoenas that he’s a suspect in the case.

“The subpoena did not tell me that,” he said.

King contends that he cannot be compelled to do anything that might incriminate himself in violation of his Fifth Amendment rights.

Regarding the bloggers on his Web site, King said “I’m not liable for anyone else’s comments.”

King said he could support his own comments and he plans to be in touch with the U.S. attorney’s office regarding the issue.

He said he is considering refusing the subpoena, although a decision might hinge on some additional information he’s trying to obtain.

The subpoena gives King a deadline of 9 a.m. on Saturday to deliver the material to the McAlester police department’s detective division.

Meanwhile, no charges had been filed as of early today in regard to an altercation between King and Wayne Stipe, son of the late Francis Stipe, outside a McAlester grocery store on Saturday.

After the altercation, both King and Stipe reported to the McAlester Regional Health Center.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

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