OKLAHOMA CITY – Dabbing her eyes with a tissue, her voice toggling between rage and brokenness, a Delaware County woman testified in 2022 how a former boyfriend bashed her head onto large river rocks trying to drown her.
That was just the beginning of her torture.
During the trial, prosecutors said the woman’s abuser, Jake Atkins, 28, used a butcher knife to cut her throat. She was tied to a chair, injected with methamphetamine, beaten with metal bars on her ribs and hung from a tree with a rope around her neck.
Atkins was sentenced to 40 years in prison and banished from living in Ottawa or Delaware counties when he is released.
“I never saw a patient sustain this many injuries,” nurse testifies in Atkins trial
Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma, wants domestic violence-related cases, such as Atkins’ case, to be included in the Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act.
Senate Bill 1326, authored by Brooks will be considered in February when the 2024 session convenes.
The bill proposes to add domestic violence-related crimes to the state’s Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act. Included in the bill is domestic assault; domestic assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; or domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon.
Click here to read Senate Bill 1326
“I had a bill a couple of years ago to add domestic abuse to the violent crime registry, but it stalled, Brooks said. “After talking to residents and staff at a local domestic violence shelter – I am convinced we need to take another run at getting this bill passed and signed into law.”
Oklahoma’s Mary Rippy Violent Crime Offenders Registration Act was created in 2004, named for an 89-year-old Wewoka woman who was strangled by a neighbor who had served time for first-degree manslaughter and felonious possession of a firearm. Rippy’s family was not aware of the killer’s violent past, according to published reports.
To read more about the Act click here.
The registry gives police and the public, information about individuals with such histories.
“Oklahoma has one of the highest rates in the nation for women murdered by men,” Brooks said.
In the three-county area of Craig, Delaware, and Ottawa County there are 18 felons on the list. Their crimes range from robbery to first-degree murder.
Click here to review the Delaware County list, the Ottawa County list, and the Craig County list.
“The idea behind the violent crime registry, the sex offender registry, and the meth registry is to help keep the public safer by making sure this information is available,” Brooks said.
Domestic abusers are some of the most dangerous individuals there are and adding them to the violent crime registry can help save lives, he said.
Criminal registries, however, are only as good as the enforcement of the laws. Domestic Violence experts warn the registries are not fool-proof and want people to remain vigilant. There is always the possibility that someone in your neighborhood could be an unregistered sex offender.
If you, or someone you know, is in a domestic violence situation please reach out to the Delaware County Sheriff at (918) 253-4531, the Ottawa County Sheriff at (918) 542-2806, the Community Crisis Center at (918) 253-3939 in Jay, (918) 787-5381 in Grove or (918) 542-2275 in Miami.
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