Burl Jason Nichols
(DOC file photo)
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — An ex-convict accused of breaking into a storage trailer on the south side of Coops Fast Lube & Tire in Cushing has been ordered to appear in court with an attorney on Aug. 17 for arraignment on a second-degree burglary charge.
Burl Jason Nichols, 50, of Cushing, who has a criminal record in three counties, remains free on $7,500 bail, court records show.
Nichols, who gave a false first name and date of birth, was identified by tattoos on both legs that were consistent with surveillance video, Cushing Police Detective Jerrod Livergood alleged in an affidavit.
“After being confronted with the surveillance footage of him taking 17 tires from the storage trailer, Burl admitted to using a Dremel type of tool to cut the lock on the storage container. Burl said that he only kept one of the tires and left the rest of them in the alley area,” the affidavit alleged.
“Burl then entered the residence and retrieved the Dremel tool he used to cut the lock. Burl located the tool in the bedroom and gave it to Sgt. Ford. The tool was seized as evidence,” the affidavit alleged.
On June 26, the detective had been asked to assist regarding a burglary that occurred at 803 E. Main Street at Coops Fast Lube & Tire in Cushing, according to his affidavit.
“When I arrived, I was advised that an unknown white male suspect cut the lock off of a storage trailer on the south side of the business where they keep used tires that they re-sell for approximately $20-$40 each, as well as other items,” the detective wrote in his affidavit.
Surveillance footage showed that on June 25 at 5:30 am, “A white bald male wearing a face covering mask or bandanna approached the storage trailer and appears to be cutting the lock with a power tool because there are sparks flying. At 5:38 am the same individual re-appeared and continued cutting on the lock,” the affidavit said.
The next morning at 2:39 am, in the footage it “appears to be the same individual returns and continues cutting lock, then leaves. From 5:53 am to 6:20 am, same individual returns, opens the roll-up door to the trailer and begins removing used tires from the trailer, then carries and rolls them across the alley out of camera view. (17 tires were stolen) A total of 16 of the tires were recovered in the immediate area,” the affidavit said.
“We identified the suspect as Burl Nichols with the surveillance footage,” the affidavit alleged.
When Nichols was contacted at 11:58 am at his residence, he identified himself by a different first name and date of birth. “Burl advised that he didn’t have an ID card with his name on it because his wallet was stolen,” the affidavit said.
“While attempting to verify his identity, we found that his real name was Burl Nichols eventually and believed this to be him due to the DMV photograph and matching tattoos. Burl likely has been lying about his name because he had an active felony warrant out of Garfield County for his arrest,” the affidavit alleged.
According to the state Department of Corrections, Nichols has a 30-year criminal history including convictions for:
* robbery or attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon in 1992 in Washington County, for which he was placed in 1993 on seven years’ probation, four years of which was apparently revoked to prison in 1995, of which only one year and four months was served before his release in 1996;
* second-degree burglary in 1997 in Washington County, for which he was given a seven-year prison term of which he served half;
* grand larceny in 2006 in Custer County, for which he was placed in 2007 on four years’ probation that was revoked in 2013 to prison of which he served 15 months;
* drug possession and carrying contraband into jail in 2008 in Garfield County, for which he was given in 2009 two concurrent 10-year prison terms of which he served three and one-half years;
* two counts of drug possession and one count of eluding a police officer in 2009 in Garfield County, for which he was given in 2009 three concurrent 10-year prison terms of which he served three years and seven months before serving his Custer County sentence that he discharged in December of 2014.
