Thursday, May 14, 2009

Officer Ronald Robert Sweeten Jr. Charged with Obtaining Merchandise by False Pretense

A Bartlesville police officer currently on administrative leave was arraigned Wednesday on charges of obtaining merchandise by false pretense.

Ronald Robert Sweeten Jr. was arraigned in Nowata County on charges stemming from an incident alleged to have occurred in 2007.

According to District Attorney Rick Esser, the state asked for a $5,000 bond but Special Judge Carl Gibson released Sweeten on his own recognizance.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Okahoma State Bureau of Investigation, authorities contend that Sweeten used his position at the Bartlesville Police Department to transfer a valuable Colt M-16 rifle owned by the BPD to himself for $500 by going through a Nowata gun dealer.

Authorities say the real value of the weapon has been estimated at between $8,000 and $14,000. They contend that Sweeten did this by undervaluing the cost of other weapons sold in the deal.

According to the report, Sweeten had been in contact with Nowata Firearms, a Class lll firearms dealer. The classification allows the dealer to buy and sell fully automatic weapons.

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