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Cave pleads guilty to burglary, gets 24 years
A: Main, news
June 4, 2025
Cave pleads guilty to burglary, gets 24 years
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR

Trenton Cave, 21, of Eufaula, has pled guilty to 16 charges stemming from a short-lived robbery spree in December 2024.

On May 28, District Judge Mike Hogan sentenced Cave to a total of 24 years in prison, 10 years for possession of a stolen credit card and conspiracy, and one year each for 14 individual charges including burglary, conspiracy, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and others.

On April 24, an accomplice pled guilty to 13 charges, including four counts of accessory to burglary in the third degree; accessory to credit/debit card theft; four counts of conspiracy to commit a felony; possession of a firearm in the commission of felony and knowingly concealing stolen property.

Jodi Shelea Hays, 20, of Checotah, was sentenced to 10 years, all suspended.

Between them, two young burglary suspects face almost 30 felony and misdemeanor counts after being caught on video breaking into cars at a residence in a rural area near Eufaula.

Upon further investigation, it is alleged that the pair burglarized numerous residences and vehicles in McIntosh and Pittsburg counties.

Cave and Hays are accused of acting in concert in their burglary spree, with Hays driving and Cave doing most of the burglarizing.

A video presented as evidence during a hearing allegedly shows Cave breaking into three vehicles at one site while carrying a rifle and repeatedly pointing it at the residence.

Both were arrested on Dec. 30 and arraigned on multiple charges on Jan. 7, when Associate District Judge Brendon Bridges entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.

He set bond for Cave at $1 million and for Hays at $100,000.

Investigator Kevin Branscum with District Attorney’s Office District 25 outlined the chain of events in a probable cause affidavit leading up to the arrests.

He said that on Dec. 29 Dustin Berry of rural McIntosh County stated that three vehicles parked outside his residence had been burglarized.

“Berry explained that upon the discovery that items were stolen from his vehicle, he began reviewing home video surveillance tapes and observed an unknown male enter his property on foot and proceed to burglarize three vehicles …” About $1,775 worth of merchandise was taken in that theft, he said.

Through his investigation, Branscum says he identified Cave and Hays as the suspects and went to their residence, where numerous items reportedly taken in burglaries were found.

He also identified four more victims of burglaries, allegedly by the two suspects.

One of the victims lost about $1,500 worth of property; another lost $498.

According to Branscum, Hays would drive their vehicle while Cave sat in the passenger seat looking for targets to burglarize.

4th Annual Wine & Art Festival Sept. 6
A: Main, news
4th Annual Wine & Art Festival Sept. 6
August 20, 2025
Artists and vendors are gearing up for the fourth annual Vision Eufaula Wine & Art Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 150 N. Front Street. If you have a food truck, winery o...
Oklahoma’s small-town police take federal immigration role
A: Main, news
Oklahoma’s small-town police take federal immigration role
By MARIA GUINNIP AND LIONEL RAMOS OKLAHOMA WATCH 
August 20, 2025
In the small farming community of Sterling, a singlestreet town of 730 people, Police Chief Brad Alexander entered into a contract with ICE and deputized all seven of his full-time and reserve officer...
Accident
A: Main, news
Accident
August 20, 2025
Joseph Long, 34, died when the car he was driving crashed head-on into a parked semi-truck and trailer, according to Police Chief David Bryning. The accident
A: Main, news
Search is on for another full-time fire chief
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
August 20, 2025
After less than a month on the job, Eufaula’s first fulltime fire chief has resigned. Greg Carmack was volunteer fire chief in Checotah when Eufaula hired him to become the city’s first full time fire...
A: Main, news
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
August 20, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament will be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd. , Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at 9 a.m. and lunch ...
A: Main, news
Former IJ employee killed
August 20, 2025
Former Indian Journal employee Dawnyal K. Hill, 52, died in a single-vehicle accident in Okfuskee County on Sunday, August 17. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol provided very few details about the event, ot...
City of Eufaula Fire Chief
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A tapestry of blues, memory, and legacy at Eufaula Library
A: Main, news
A tapestry of blues, memory, and legacy at Eufaula Library
By MICHAEL BARNES CORRESPONDENT 
August 20, 2025
This past Friday afternoon, the Follansbee Room of the Eufaula Memorial Library filled not just with guests and folding chairs—but with memory, reverence, and the soul of the blues. What was originall...
2025-2026 school year gets underway
A: Main, news
2025-2026 school year gets underway
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
August 20, 2025
The first day of school was Thursday, Aug.14 with the usual chaos and traffic jams, though not as bad as in the past before the district installed a drop-off point inside the campus at the elementary ...
Muscogee Nation
news
Muscogee Nation
August 20, 2025
Muscogee Nation artist Jon Tiger’s latest work is a mural on the wall of the second-floor Chattahoochee meeting room of Suite Shots Jenks, a sports entertainment complex featuring hightech golf games....
news
Okemah asks for AG help in law enforcement
August 20, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Monday answered a request for assistance from the City of Okemah. In an unprecedented move, agents from his office are now standing in for Okemah’s...
FLEAS July Meeting
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FLEAS July Meeting
August 20, 2025
In July, we celebrated Whole Hawg days early. The room was flooded with pink balloons decorated as pigs with pink tablecloths. The hostesses were Kay Owens, Kim Holloway and Iris Harp. There were lots...
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