A former Vian Police officer is facing serious criminal charges after an investigation revealed he allegedly lied under oath, illegally entered a residence, and used excessive force during an arrest last September.
According to an affidavit filed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), Officer Robert Rice, 31, has been charged with perjury, breaking and entering, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon following his involvement in the controversial arrest of Hailey Sherrill and Brett Hooper at the Garden Walk Apartments in Vian on Sept. 25, 2024.
The affidavit, signed by OSBI Special Agent Christian Goode, details a troubling chain of events that began when Rice responded to a tip about Hooper, who had an outstanding felony warrant issued by the Cherokee Nation.
Body camera footage and witness interviews contradict Rice’s official reports. While Rice claimed a resident told him Hooper was inside Sherrill’s apartment at the time of the police arrival, video shows the resident clearly stated Hooper had left the apartment approximately 30 minutes earlier. Despite this, Rice proceeded to enter the apartment.
In the affidavit, Agent Goode says Rice used the apartment manager, Christa Deliz, to facilitate what the OSBI alleges was an unlawful search. Sherrill repeatedly denied Rice and Deliz permission to enter the apartment. Although Deliz had already searched the apartment once and found no one, she returned with Rice, who directed her where to search.
Rice later claimed under oath that Deliz initiated the walkthrough and that he was merely there to observe. However, body cam footage reportedly shows Rice orchestrating the search and directing Deliz where to look. Hooper was eventually found hiding in a bedroom.
The incident escalated when Sherrill opened a door, which Rice claimed struck him with enough force to throw him off balance. However, investigators determined the body cam footage did not support this claim. Sherrill was then allegedly slammed into a wall, pushed into her bedroom, and tased twice by Rice. She was transported to an area hospital before being booked into the Sequoyah County Detention Center.
Internal concerns about Rice’s conduct were raised the following day by Vian Police Department Investigator Kevin Kirk and Chief Mark Harkins. Chief Harkins reviewed the body cam footage and concluded that Rice used coercive threats, telling Sherrill her door would be kicked down and windows blown out by a SWAT team, to try to gain entry, despite her continued refusal.
In response, Harkins contacted the district attorney’s office to request Sherrill’s release and for all pending charges against her to be dropped. By December, the OSBI had been called in to investigate further.
The investigation that Rice knowingly made false statements in official documents, entered Sherrill’s apartment without lawful consent or a warrant, and used a taser on her unlawfully, all of which led to the criminal charges now filed against him.
Rice received a $7,500 bond and is to have no contact with the alleged victim as a condition of his bond. Sequoyah County court records show he is set for an arraignment today (June 18) before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.
The OSBI continues to investigate the matter and has not ruled out further legal action.
