A trailer being monitored by law enforcement was reported as being actively stolen. When stopped, the driver pulling the trailer said he must have picked up the wrong one.

About 8:27 p.m. on April 1, Woods County Sheriff’s Deputy David Cummings was notified that a trailer the sheriff’s office was monitoring was being actively stolen from an oilfield location near US-64 and County Road 500. The trailer began traveling east on US-64 toward the county line. Cummings contacted the Alfalfa County Sheriff’s Office and advised them of the theft, and that the trailer was traveling through their county. They advised they would send a deputy to intercept. Cummings requested permission from Alfalfa County to continue into their county despite not being in active pursuit, which they authorized.

At approximately 8:34 p.m. Alfalfa County advised that Deputy Loren Nusser and an officer with the Cherokee Police Department had the vehicle stopped about one mile south of the US-64 and State Highway 8 junction. While Cummings was driving he coordinated with Woods County Undersheriff Keith Dale who advised he would also be responding.

Cummings arrived and made contact with officers. He observed the trailer, which he knew to be the one monitored by the Woods County Sheriff’s Office. The trailer was attached to a black pickup with the company logo of Production Services on the window. Nusser said the suspect driver was Kenneth Blake Draper of Enid, and he was the only occupant in the vehicle Deputy Nusser said he conducted a felony stop on the vehicle and had Draper in custody in his patrol car; no questioning had been done as of yet. Deputy Nusser said Draper made admission that he was sent to a SandRidge oilfield location to pick up a trailer for work, but that he must have made a mistake and picked up the wrong one. Draper said his boss, Justin Weaver, had him pick up the trailer and could verify his claim. Draper provided contact information for Weaver.

Cummings contacted Weaver who denied having Draper pick up any property, but he said Draper also reports to two other consultants in the Alva area. He provided their names and numbers. Cummings spoke with both individuals who denied having Draper pick up property. But he was told Draper had been working on a job site near US-64 and County 500.

Cummings removed Draper and placed him into his patrol car where an interview was conducted under audio and video recording. Assisting in the interview was Undersheriff Dale.

In a post-Miranda interview with Draper waiving his right to an attorney, Cummings confronted Draper with what his supervisors said. Draper denied taking the trailer unlawfully and continued to say he picked up the wrong one. Upon further questioning, Draper confessed to being on a job site on the southwest corner of US-64 and County Road 500. He said he noticed the trailer across the highway and due to personal financial problems, he decided to steal it, according to the affidavit. He said he thought he could flip the trailer quickly, earning extra money. He said he did not have a trailer hitch on his company pickup so after completing the job, he drove to Walmart in Alva and purchased a ball hitch. He returned to the location, hooking onto the trailer and leaving the area.

The vehicle Draper was driving was later released to a designee of Weaver. Cummings transported the trailer back to Woods County. The ball hitch was seized as evidence and later secured in the Woods County Sheriff’s Office evidence vault.

Deputy Nusser allowed Cummings to place Draper under arrest and transport him to the Woods County Jail.

On April 10 in Woods County, Kenneth Blake Draper, 33, of Enid, was charged with grand larceny, a felony. This crime is punishable by imprisonment of not more than five years, by a fine not to exceed 1,000, or by both such fine and imprisonment, and restitution.