Man accused of threatening Sullivan to undergo mental evaluation
BY ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer
Monday, August 06, 2012
8/06/12 at 12:11 PM
A man who is accused of threatening U.S. Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., will be evaluated for mental competency, a judge ruled Monday.
Wayne Franklin Miles, 52, of Skiatook faces a federal complaint of “influencing, impeding or retaliating against a federal official by threatening or injuring a family member,” according to court records.
Prosecutors allege that he went to the Skiatook Police Department on July 22 and threatened to shoot Sullivan, saying he believed the congressman was "sleeping with my wife" and that “Sullivan is using his government power and position to procure a hit man to take (Miles’) life," court documents show.
Miles was booked into the Tulsa Jail on the federal complaint July 27.
At the request of Assistant Federal Public Defender Stephen Greubel, U.S. Magistrate T. Lane Wilson on Monday postponed Miles' detention hearing, which would have determined his bail amount.
The hearing, originally set for that morning, was rescheduled for Oct. 25 but would be moved up if Miles' competency is determined sooner, Wilson said.
To accommodate prosecutors' desire for security, Miles will be evaluated by psychologists at a secure facility operated by the Bureau of Prisons, Greubel said.
If he is found incompetent, "we will explore other options," including medical treatment, he said.
Skiatook Police Detective Jerry Bullard described Miles in an affidavit as “mentally unstable,” and the federal complaint says he has a history of violent actions, including threats made against his former wife.
"Our main concern is getting him to medical treatment," Greubel said. "We don't care where -- just wherever there's a bed available."
He said Miles is not receiving the treatment he needs at the Tulsa Jail and that "the longer he stays, I think the worse it is for him."
Officials said in court documents that Miles came to believe that Sullivan was his wife's boyfriend this spring after he searched his wife's name on the Internet.
At the time, the Sullivan campaign was running online advertisements that were “triggered by online searches by a computer user on topics such as guns and shooting ranges,” according to an affidavit.
Sullivan was defeated in the June Republican primary after five terms in Congress.
Sullivan said in a statement that he does not know Miles or his wife.
Monday's hearing did not significantly change the case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dennis Fries said.
"This was a preliminary hearing," he said. "We're just at the status quo right now."
Handcuffed and in a prison uniform, Miles listened as Greubel spoke to him for 15 minutes before the hearing and appeared relaxed. He did not speak during the proceedings.
Records show that Miles posted $26,000 bond shortly after a July 22 arrest over unrelated charges of possession of methamphetamine, larceny from a retailer and violation of a protective order.
He was arrested again July 27 on the federal complaint, jail records show.
Staff Writer Jerry Wofford contributed to this story
Associated Images:
Wayne Franklin Miles
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