By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 23-year-old Stillwater man, who admitted setting fire to his ex-girlfriend’s car parked at Highway 33 and Range Road in Perkins and also possessing marijuana, has been placed on five years’ probation with 15 days in jail, as part of a plea bargain approved in court on June 14.
Sterling Ray Fye was also ordered by District Judge Phillip Corley to have a substance abuse evaluation, undergo any recommended treatment, perform 40 hours of community service, and pay $500 restitution along with court costs as well as various assessments.
The car, which had been parked at the site for a couple of days, reportedly belonged to Fye’s ex-girlfriend, according to an affidavit by Payne County Sheriff’s Sgt. Don Howard.
Fye had been arrested shortly before 1 am on Jan. 30, about two hours after Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy Collin Seaton was dispatched to Highway 33 and Range Road on a vandalism call, the affidavit said.
A witness reported seeing “two people break a window on a small white sedan that had been parked there for a couple of days,” before leaving and returning, the affidavit said.
“I requested that Perkins Police Sgt. Spencer Gedon go and remain with the male individual where the vehicle was on fire,” Sgt. Howard wrote in his affidavit.
“Sgt. Gedon advised me that Sterling (Fye) had cuts on his hands, and when Sgt. Gedon was near the fire, he could see what appeared to be dead grass in the front seat of the vehicle. Sgt. Gedon also located a black container with a green leafy substance I knew to be marijuana, along with two small white papers, and a square white container containing a yellow hard wax substance, and a black butane lighter,” Sgt. Howard wrote in his affidavit.
“Sterling advised that he did have a medical marijuana card,” which Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy Zach Wheeler reported had expired, the affidavit said.
About midnight, “Sterling was evaluated by LifeNet, and he was released back to me. Sgt. Gedon advised me that he had asked Sterling if he was hurting anywhere, and he stated that he was ‘wasted and can’t feel anything,"” Sgt. Howard wrote in his affidavit.
“At the request of the State Fire Marshal, Sterling was asked if he knew whose vehicle it was; he stated that he did not and that he and (a relative) were there attempting to put out the fire,” the affidavit said. The defendant’s relative was not charged with arson, court records show.
Sixteen witnesses for the prosecution were listed on the charge including the Perkins Fire Department, two Perkins police officers, six members of the Payne County Sheriff’s Department, two members of the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s office, a 911 operator and an OSBI chemist, the affidavit said.
