Two named in grand jury indictment
NewsOk.com, June 29, 2007
By Randy Ellis
Oklahoma's multicounty grand jury Thursday returned a sealed indictment naming two individuals
after a day in which jurors heard secret testimony from three Kiamichi Technology Center board
members and the center's business manager and superintendent.
The indictment was returned on the eve of a Kiamichi board meeting scheduled for today,
during which the board is to consider terminating Superintendent Gregory Z. Winters and
hiring new legal counsel.
Reached Thursday night, Winters expressed confidence that the indictment didn't have anything to do with him.
Indictment details
"The six-count indictment names two individuals in three counts and one individual in the other three counts, announced Noma Gurich, presiding judge over the grand jury.
"She identified Atoka County as the proper venue for future court proceedings regarding the indictment, which indicates that is probably where the alleged crimes were committed.
The center
The Kiamichi Technology Center is headquartered in Wilburton, which is in Latimer County, but has a branch campus in Atoka County.
Winters, board president Brad Garrett, board clerk Bobbie Wilson, board member Norman Ranger and business manager Lois Welch all took turns testifying Thursday.
Garrett confirmed that Winters' possible termination is on today's board agenda but declined to discuss how he would vote or reasons for the action.
Ranger said the board has had communication issues with Winters.
Ranger said it took several months of questioning for him to find out Winters' compensation package, and board members have had difficulty getting items on the agenda.
Winters told The Oklahoman his base salary is about $130,000, and his total compensation package is $195,500.
"I don't know what they're up to," Winters said. "I had worked up the official agenda and then got a call Tuesday and was told they wanted to add a few more items to the agenda. I'm just in shock today."
Terminated employment
Ranger was terminated last week from his job with Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, he said. Ranger said the college did not give him a reason for not renewing his contract, but he attributed it to politics since he said he had excellent evaluations during the four years he worked for the college.
Ranger said he had an office in Idabel and worked as a coordinator helping train and find jobs for adults in the state Department of Human Services' Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Ranger said he had used his office computer to send questions to Winters but was unsure whether that was the reason for his termination.
Ranger said college officials took his computer, told him to pack his things and escorted him out of the building, without giving him to opportunity to say goodbye to the clients he was helping.
Winters said he didn't know anything about Ranger's termination.
As of early Thursday evening, no date had been set for the unsealing of the indictment in Atoka.
This is the second time a state multicounty grand jury has conducted an investigation involving the Kiamichi Techology Center.
Political infighting has continued since then among Kiamichi employees.
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