Tulsa World

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Legal woes haunt candidate

by: BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
7/28/2009 3:31:37 PM

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Ike's Chili operator Chris Trail, a Republican who is challenging incumbent City Councilor Bill Martinson for the District 5 seat, has had a host of mostly financial legal troubles, records show.

When confronted outside a campaign fundraising event Monday night, Trail said, "I have made some mistakes, and I've learned from them."

"I just want to go in there and be a good councilor and do what I can," he said. "I'm not a bad guy."

Trail, 39, appears to have been untruthful on the biographical questionnaire the Tulsa World sent to all candidates. To the question "Have you ever been arrested?" he answered, "No."

Trail was arrested Jan. 7, 2008, at Ike's Chili, 1630 W. 51st St., after a bench warrant was issued by a Tulsa municipal judge, records show. He failed to appear in court on two food code violations stemming from a Nov. 26, 2007, restaurant inspection.

Trail said he didn't mean to mislead the newspaper. He said he didn't view it as a real arrest — even though he was taken into custody by a police officer — because it was such a minor offense.

The warrant was issued after Trail failed to appear in court Dec. 20, 2007. Trail said that was during the ice storm and that he didn't think court would be in session. After the arrest, he paid the fines, and the case was closed.

Trail was charged in Tulsa County District Court in February 2005 with obtaining merchandise by bogus check, a felony, records show. That charge stemmed from a July 2004 check for $1,417.26 to Tankersley Food Service.

After a judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest in that case, Trail paid the bill, and the charge was dismissed with court costs.

Trail has faced numerous tax liens, some of which have been settled, records show. Four appear to be outstanding; the Tulsa County Clerk's Office has no records showing that they have been released.

The state issued two unemployment compensation tax warrants on Trail in 2006, one for $2,030.27 and the other for $1,851.65.

Also in 2006, the Oklahoma Tax Commission issued a tax warrant totaling $8,082.70 against him for failure to remit sales taxes, records show.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a tax lien against him in 2007 involving payroll taxes amounting to $5,921.81.

Trail said the outstanding tax liens are related to an ongoing Tulsa County civil lawsuit in which he is a defendant.

Former business partners of Trail's allege in the lawsuit that he misappropriated funds designated for payment of sales tax, deposited business cash into his personal bank account and paid personal bills with business money.

"Unfortunately, I can't comment about that, because it is a pending lawsuit," Trail said. "But I am confident everything will be clear when it is over."

Trail and his wife, Sarah Trail, filed for bankruptcy in June 2000 to discharge debt from more than two dozen creditors, records from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of Oklahoma show.

In October 1999, Sarah Trail was granted an emergency protective order against her husband for alleged domestic abuse, court records show.

The two were separated and living apart at the time. In one confrontation, Chris Trail is accused of holding a butcher knife to his chest and telling his wife to kill him, documents show.

Sarah Trail asked the court to dismiss the protective order less than a month after it was granted, records show.

The two are still married.

Chris Trail broke into tears about the protective order Monday night, saying, "I hope no one thinks I would ever harm my wife."

He and his wife said she was a nanny at the time and was pressured into asking for the protective order by her client, who worked for the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

Sarah Trail said: "It was a bad call on my part. He's never harmed me and has been a good husband and father."

Chris Trail said Monday night that an Ottawa County official recently told him that someone had been pushing for action on a still-pending 19-year-old public intoxication case against him.

A bench warrant was issued just last week, the day after Trail filed for the council office, by an Ottawa County district judge, records show.

Trail said he has since sent in his payment for the fine.

He said the case dates to when he was a student at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

Trail's eligibility to compete in the District 5 race is being challenged by Martinson — but not because of his legal troubles.

In a contest petition filed Friday with the Tulsa County Election Board, Martinson alleges that Trail registered to vote in the district March 30 without actually having any rights of residence at the time.

Trail produced his contract Monday night for a rent home at 10611 E. 20th St. dated March 26. Before then, he lived in west Tulsa.

A hearing on the issue is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday with the Election Board.

Brian Barber 581-8322
brian.barber@tulsaworld.com

Associate Images:

HOPEFUL
Chris Trail: "I just want to go in there and be a good councilor . I'm not a bad guy."

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