Bonded by the Enemy

Nothing in all the business trials could have prepared me for the torment the entire family was going to face. I was standing in the hall of the Oklahoma City Heart Hospital and had just had a fight with the heart doctor in telling him I had called an ambulance to take my husband home.  This story is in my book Hidden Answers to Health, but I was already ready to fight someone before I received the call.  Then Darren called to say mom, River Ridge is being accused of bid rigging.

I quickly called the Oklahoma Governor's office who transferred me to Gary Jones, State Auditor and I asked him why a OSBI Agent and one of his employees was sitting at our job site telling Kiewit that River Ridge was being investigated for crimes. He had much of nothing to say.

As caregiver, I spent all my time with Dennis and would check on the business, when possible. A year went by and probably the reason I wasn't ever interviewed by any auditor.  Darren and Jodi would call but most of the time to check on Dad.  I had advised Darren to get an attorney which from day one said to not give interviews and wait to see what the audit showed.  

When the audit finally came out, I could not believe my eyes and immediately started pulling every paper, every ticket and then I went to the courthouse and pulled their paperwork. I called the attorney, and he sent every interview. It took months. 

I knew the auditor lied and twisted truth about everything, especially Oakland Road.  The auditor was quick in all the papers to say, "The county completed this project under term bids obtaining no bond, leaving the county to deal with substandard work". I show testimonies provided by our attorneys; the auditors had been told in all interviews this road was a test. River Ridge poured the concrete only; the county did the base and CED was there to pull tests so why lie? Newkirk has a concrete highway going towards Braman that has lasted 100 years. If a new formula could have been found, it would save millions. But wait - in 1973 Haliburton, Hughes and Allen met to devise OK formula for roads with toxic waste materials.  See at bottom of Home Page.

Next question was why just the two commissioners? River Ridge over two years had discovered massive amounts of toxic waste under 15 bridges close to Blackwell and Tonkawa. Only two commissioners filed to start cleaning up. The two charged and while there was no indication this was the reason, people in the courthouse used a court sealed document in an ad against one of them in the Ponca News.  I know I asked to see it. And now ten more years the water has passed over the lead and other toxins right down into Oklahoma rivers and lakes.

I am 72 years old and would with confidence say Dee Schieber is one of the great County Commissioners in Oklahoma.  He was always trying to get the most work for the least which will clearly show up in the corrected audit.  He was instrumental in helping the Kaw Nation extend to Highway 35 which gave more BIA money for road projects. By the way all projects the auditor reviewed were BIA except the Blackwell Windfarm project which did not use any county funds.

When I saw that the DA from Grant County sent Dee to jail for misdemeanors, I thought could it be that the DA was upset over my call to him about the Grant County Quarry outside of Newkirk selling retail to customers in his county and without paying sales taxes to Kay?  Surely not.  It was when the oil and gas came into our area, and we had quarries called MK Crushing and Grant County Quarry lowered their prices to sale to the public.  I know too they said Tyson was guilty of racketeering but in the interviews, they were told the DA approved Tyson to use his company employee and dozer on the Blackwell Windfarm project and I just imagine because there was no county money involved.

The first I heard about was Gayle Ward. I received a copy of a letter she sent out to all the commissioners she represented warning about the auditor, and it took the auditor's office two weeks to go in audit and get her fired.  It was interesting how the DA from Oklahoma County ordered her audit and he had a whistleblower come forward about him hiring to find dirt on opponents. 

Then out of other concerns, I took the evidence to the Kay County Sheriff.  The auditor got him quick too and put what he could in the papers.  He retired.

At the time, Attorney General Puritt, would not allow the auditor to audit his office but could not protect Oklahoma citizens.  

could it be for such a time as this?  to be continued.