Alva Review-Courier -

Harold Cushenbery left his pickup parked outside the Cherokee Strip Museum in Alva Thursday morning, Aug. 17. About an hour later at 11:35 a.m., he called Woods County Dispatch to report it stolen. Cushenbery told Alva Police Officer Tamira McLelland he left the keys in his 2012 Ford 2500 four-door pickup He said the pickup had a “Retired Firefighter” tag attached to the front, there was a dent on the side, and he described it as “pretty banged up.” It also didn’t have a tailgate but instead had a wood 2x6 across the back.

About 5:18 Officer McLelland called Elaine Graybill after being told by dispatch she had information on the stolen pickup. Graybill said the cameras at the Cherokee Strip Museum only had a limited view, and all she could see was the pickup headed east on Maple from 14th Street.

Then McLelland was told by Woods County Deputy David Cummings that an inmate had been released earlier in the morning, and he was looking for a ride out of town. He was wearing a gray shirt when released.

The next morning, Aug. 18, McLelland went to Lite N Nite convenience store, 1624 Oklahoma Blvd., to watch their video footage. The employee pointed out a male who seemed odd the previous day. He appeared to be the same male in a booking photo Deputy Cummings showed. On the video the man, identified as Morgan Welch, was walking from the east and going west in front of the Four W mini storage buildings toward the Lite N Nite. Welch went inside and made several phone calls from the store phone. He then left the store at 11:18 a.m. heading east.

On Wednesday, Sept. 13, McLelland was told by Woods County Dispatch the missing pickup was recovered in Alfalfa County on the side of the road in some weeds. McLelland called Cushenbery to notify him his pickup had been recovered. Cushenbery mentioned he was concerned about his tools that were in the pickup.

McLelland called Alfalfa County Deputy Loren Nusser who said the vehicle looked like it had been there for a few days, contained several high dollar tools, had some damage and the keys were found within a few feet of the pickup. He was going to attempt to get fingerprints off the vehicle and a wrecker service from Alva was coming to pick it up. Nusser was given Cushenbery’s phone number. The pickup was returned to Cushenbery during the afternoon on Sept. 13.

On Oct. 12, Woods County Undersheriff Keith Dale informed McLelland that Welch admitted to stealing Cushenbery’s vehicle in a post-Miranda interview conducted while he was an inmate at the Woods County Jail. Dale included a voluntary statement from Stacy “Shane” Vore.

McLelland called Vore, who was the bail bondsman for Welch, on Aug. 17. He said Welch called him from the Lite N Nite at approximately 10 a.m. after he bonded him out at approximately 6 a.m. Vore said when Welch called, he said he did not have a ride out of Alva.

Morgan Joseph Welch, 42, of Pryor, has been charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, a felony. This crime is punishable by imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term not to exceed two years.