(Stillwater, Okla.) — An ex-convict with a history of drug and assault arrests has been charged with attacking three men at a Cushing exercise facility and obstructing Cushing police.
No patrons were injured in the May 23 incident at Simpson’s Chiropractic and Physical Therapy Center, according to a news release from Cushing police.
William Ray Doherty Jr., 40, who was released from prison four years ago, has been held in the Payne County Jail on $75,000 bail since his arrest the day of the incident.
Doherty, who is unemployed, had been living in Cushing with his father, according to his application for a court-appointed attorney.
Special District Judge Katherine Thomas warned Doherty in court Friday that he must remain away from Simpson’s Gym in the 1500 block of E. Main Street in Cushing and have no contact with his victims.
“According to witnesses, Doherty entered the business and confronted a male employee, assaulting him,” the police news release alleged.
“When staff and patrons attempted to intervene, Doherty pulled out a knife and began swinging it at them,” the police news release alleged.
“A male employee received minor injuries. No one was cut or stabbed,” the police news release said.
Doherty was charged with two felony counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly slashing at two men with a folding pocket knife with the blade exposed.
Doherty was charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery for allegedly grabbing another man around the neck and slamming him into a wall.
Doherty was charged with an additional misdemeanor count of obstructing Cushing Police Chief Terry Brannon and Officer Bill McCarty by failing to remain seated in a vehicle and shouting profanities at the officers.
Doherty had fled the scene before police arrived at the exercise facility, according to the news release.
“Animal Control Officer Steve Orton spotted Doherty and the vehicle near the intersection of Violet and Maple Streets.
“Police were able to get the vehicle stopped at the intersection of Kings Highway and Oak Street. Doherty was taken into police custody by Detective Adam Harp, Master Patrol Officer Bill McCarty and Sgt. Jack Ford,” the news release said.
Praising the staff and patrons at Simpson’s Chiropractic, the Cushing police chief said, “When this incident began to unfold, staff immediately called 911 and I believe it was the actions of staff and patrons that kept someone from being severely hurt.
“The diligence of Animal Control Officer Steve Orton to recognize Doherty and his vehicle, radioing in that information, led to us making a quick arrest,” the Cushing police chief said.
Doherty was released from prison four years ago after serving one and one-half years of a five and one-half year sentence for assault with a dangerous weapon in McClain County in 2003, for which he remains on probation, state Department of Corrections records show.
Doherty had been given a 10-year prison term in 1996 in Cleveland County for grand larceny after a former felony conviction of which he served about five years prior to his parole in 2001, DOC records show.
Doherty had been given a nine-year prison term in 1996 in Cleveland County for possession of LSD with intent to distribute of which he served about three and one-half years, DOC records show.
Doherty had been placed on probation in 1990 in Cleveland County for second-degree burglary, which was subsequently changed to a five-year prison term of which he served about two years, DOC records show.
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