Haskell County Deputies Arrest Bondsman, 2 Men Hired To Make Citizen’s Arrest
Beverly Cantrell - September 23, 2021 6:34 am
HASKELL COUNTY, Oklahoma – News 6
Two men hired by a bail bondsman to make a citizen’s arrest, are in jail themselves tonight, looking at a kidnapping charge.
The Haskell County Sheriff’s Office also arrested the bondsman who paid the men, plus, the person they brought in because he did have a current warrant.
“There are ways around doing what they did and in this case, greed got the best of them,” said Haskell County Sheriff Tim Turner.
Turner said this is an example of a bondsman overstepping her authority and told us they’re just lucky no one was seriously hurt.
The Haskell County Sheriff and his Undersheriff met half-brothers Bobby Medina and Wesley Collins, as the two were escorting Robert Blagg into the jail lobby Monday afternoon.
“They advised us that they were doing it under a citizen’s arrest,” said Turner.
They said the two men then agreed to give Blagg a ride to a friend’s house where they did some drinking, then made their citizen’s arrest.
“Mr. Medina pushed Mr. Blagg against the car, pinned him against the car, while Mr. Collins grabbed his hands to get handcuffs on him,” said Turner.
Turner said the two men said they’d been hired by bail bondsman Phillis Lawson and they were waiting for her at the jail to bring the paperwork.
“In Oklahoma, citizen’s arrest, the action has to be a felony. It has to be committed at that time or attempt to be committed at that time. Mr. Blagg had not committed a felony. He had a felony arrest warrant for failure to appear,” said Turner.
They said Lawson offered the two men $500 if they’d arrest Blagg.
“Once they confined him or imprisoned him in their custody, they then kidnapped him,” said Sheriff Turner.
Sheriff Turner said Collins should’ve known better because he’s a city councilor and police commissioner in another city. The other man, Medina, actually had his own warrant out of Bryan County.
“A man who lives in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones. Mr. Medina’s out here taking matters into his own hands when he’s sitting there violating the law with a warrant himself. So that was kind of karma on his part,” said Turner.
The two were booked for Public Intoxication, False Impersonation of a Bounty Hunter, and Kidnapping. The bondswoman was booked for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and to impersonate a fugitive apprehension agent. Deputies booked Blagg for his warrant.
