(Stillwater, Okla.) — An Orlando man — who is on probation for possessing stolen property in McIntosh County — has been charged with possessing methamphetamine in Perkins, as well as shoplifting a package of diapers at the Dollar General Store on Highway 33 in Perkins.
Mitchell Luis Pruitt, 27, was notified by mail to appear in Payne County District Court on Aug. 27 on his felony drug charge and on Aug. 19 on his misdemeanor shoplifting charge, both of which were filed last week, court records show.
In the drug case, Perkins Police Officer Charles Danker was sent about 4:15 p.m. on Feb. 9 to the 400 block of E. 3rd Street regarding a suspicious person “sitting in tall weeds against a fence behind a residence,” an affidavit said.
The Perkins officer asked Pruitt why he was sitting in the tall grass “and he stated that he and his girlfriend were visiting her mother and they had an argument so he came outside to cool off and was texting his girlfriend,” the affidavit said.
“I asked if he had any identification, and as he was removing his wallet from his back pocket, a small baggy fell out of his pocket onto the ground,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
“I asked what the baggy contained and Mitchell stated it wasn’t his. I informed him that I observed it fall out of his pocket onto the ground, and Mitchell still denied it was his. Mitchell’s girlfriend came outside and confirmed they were visiting family,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
“I field-tested the residue and didn’t get a positive test. I informed Mitchell that I would send the baggy to OSBI for further testing, and if it came back positive for any illegal substance, I would write an affidavit and send it to the District Attorney’s office requesting a warrant for his arrest,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“I informed Mitchell that he needs to not be hanging out on other people’s property without permission from the owner. Mitchell was free to leave and walked back over to the apartment buildings located on SE 4th Street in Perkins,” the officer wrote in his affidavit.
The Perkins police officer subsequently received a report from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) that residue in one plastic bag was methamphetamine, the affidavit alleged.
A month before that incident, Perkins Police Officer George Hannon was sent about noon on Jan. 4 to the Dollar General Store on Highway 33 on a report of a shoplifter who allegedly stole a package of diapers and returned with them later to the store for cash, according to an affidavit.
The store manager “showed me surveillance video of Mitchell walking toward the camera carrying the diapers,” then not having them after turning down an aisle, the officer wrote in his affidavit.
“You can see as Mitchell walks closer to the video that he has a bulge in the front of his clothing that was not there when he entered the store,” the affidavit alleged.
About 24 minutes after leaving the store, “Mitchell returns to the store holding the diapers,” on surveillance video, the affidavit alleged.
When the officer called a phone number for the defendant, “Mitchell told me he was in Guthrie and would come make a statement. Mitchell asked several times if he could just buy diapers or pay back the money to avoid court,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
When the defendant arrived at the Perkins police station, “Mitchell wanted to see the rest of the video and told me that the person in the video was not him.
“Mitchell said, ‘I don’t need this right now. I’m dealing with a knowingly concealing stolen property charge,’” the affidavit alleged.
According to court records, the defendant had pleaded guilty to three counts of knowingly concealing stolen property in McIntosh County in September 2013, for which he was given a one-year jail term followed by four years of probation – on which he remains.
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