Oklahoma’s Osage Casino Site of Arrest of Bank Robbery Suspect

Posted on: July 21, 2022, 07:31h. 

Last updated on: July 21, 2022, 11:32h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

An unnamed man was apprehended this week at one of Oklahoma’s Osage casino locations following a nearby bank robbery. Authorities did not reveal how much was stolen from the financial institution.

The Bartlesville, Okla. branch of the Armstrong Bank
A possible robbery suspect at the Bartlesville, Okla. branch of the Armstrong Bank, pictured above. A man was later apprehended at a nearby casino. (Image: Bartlesville Police Department)

On Tuesday, the Bartlesville branch of the Armstrong Bank was robbed at about 3:15 pm. By 7:37 pm, the suspect had been detained at the casino. Local press reports did not say if he was charged. They also did not reveal his name.

Shortly after the holdup, the Bartlesville Police Department announced the suspect was wearing jean shorts, a hat, and sunglasses. He was believed to be Native American. Authorities released a video from the bank’s surveillance cameras showing the suspect. Photos were also released.

He is believed to have driven away from the bank in a small, silver-colored SUV. It might have been a Toyota or Mitsubishi. It had a crack in the windshield, the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, a local newspaper, reported.

The gaming property is located in Skiatook. That is some 33 miles from the bank in Bartlesville. The casino is one of seven gaming venues operated by the Osage Nation. Their casinos have seen other crimes in the past year.

Earlier Shooting

Earlier this month, a dispute led to a murder at the Osage Casino-Tulsa in Oklahoma. The suspect allegedly shot a woman following a disagreement in the Osage Casino parking lot.

After the argument, one or more suspects followed the would-be victim as she was driven away from the lot. They soon caught up with her in Tulsa and allegedly shot at the car in which she was a passenger.

The victim, later identified as Tabitha Sinclair, 49, suffered several chest wounds. She was transported to Hillcrest Hospital before ultimately succumbing to her injuries.

The suspect, who was later identified as Jacqueline Mills, is believed to be 32, according to KJRH, a Tulsa TV station. Police located her in Tulsa. She was charged with first-degree murder, KJRH reported.

The driver of the car was also wounded. It is unclear what led to the argument.

Comanche Nation Casino Shooting

In March, in an unrelated case, a 35-year-old Oklahoma man was sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for allegedly shooting at tribal police officers. The incident occurred last year at Lawton, Okla.’s Comanche Nation Casino.

Michael Hans Oloa, of Lawton, was given a 188-month sentence in Oklahoma federal court by US District Court Judge Scott Palk. Following Oloa’s release from prison, he will be placed under supervised release for three years, the judge ordered.

Oloa was previously indicted on two charges: assaulting two federal officers and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Last August, he entered guilty pleas on both charges, according to a statement from Oklahoma US Attorney Robert J. Troester,

The May 25, 2021, incident began after two Comanche Nation Police Department officers responded to the tribal casino. They encountered Oloa who allegedly discharged a firearm in the direction of the officers while in a parking lot, Troester said.