(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 71-year-old Cushing man was arraigned Monday on a felony charge alleging that he delivered the painkilling drug, Lortab, to an informant for the Cushing Police Department.
John Earl Kepler Sr., who was arrested Friday and freed on $5,000 bail, could be given from two years to life in prison and a $20,000 fine if convicted of unlawful delivery of a controlled drug.
Kepler Sr. appeared in court Monday without an attorney and was ordered to return July 14 with counsel to represent him on the felony charge, court records show.
Cushing Police Detective Adam Harp wrote in an affidavit that he, Cushing Police Sgt. Jack Ford and Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy George Disel met with an informant at the Cushing police station on March 31 with a plan for the informant to contact Kepler Sr. at his home to purchase Lortab.
The informant was fitted with a transmitter and given a $20 bill provided by the Cushing Police Department, the affidavit said.
The informant contacted Kepler Sr. at his residence on W. Katy Street in Cushing, which is located 964 feet from Early Bird Head Start, and allegedly bought two Lortab pills for $20, the affidavit said.
The conversation between the informant and Kepler Sr. was recorded, according to the affidavit.
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