Ontario lawyer arrested — again
By Andy Gates - Argus Observer
Sunday, April 29, 2007 2:12 AM PDT
ONTARIO - Area attorney Tom Okai was arrested Friday for the second time in six months.
The arrest Friday, around 3 p.m. at Okai’s residence, was on a warrant issued Thursday for charges of theft and negotiating bad checks.
At the Malheur County Jail, officers also located suspected methamphetamine in Okai’s pants pocket, Ontario Police Chief Mike Kee said. Police obtained a search warrant for Okai’s home, Kee said, and the residence was searched around 7 p.m.
Police seized 15 items of evidence, and as a result Okai could possibly face additional drug-related charges, Kee said.
Okai was previously arrested Oct. 3, 2006, at his Ontario office for illegal possession of a controlled substance, OxyContin, following an undercover law enforcement operation by the High Desert Drug Task Force. He is slated to go to trial for that case July 2.
The suspected methamphetamine seized from Okai at the jail Friday could lead to charges of possession of a controlled substance, which is a felony. The alleged meth was sent to the crime lab, Kee said.
“We’ll send it to the grand jury for an indictment and he could get charged with that as well,” Kee said of the suspected meth.
The warrant for Okai’s arrest was issued after a grand jury indicted him on 15 charges Thursday, including one count of first degree theft, which is a felony, for allegedly taking $750 from Sunset Lanes bowling alley in Ontario between Jan. 25 and Feb. 7, court records show.
According to the indictment, Okai is also charged with four counts of second degree theft, which are misdemeanors, each for taking $50 or more from the bowling alley in February.
Okai is charged with 10 counts of negotiating a bad check — which are misdemeanors — for issuing checks between January and February that he knew would not be honored by the bank from which they were drawn, according to the indictment.
Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norris said the October drug case and the recent theft case are separate.
“I don’t know how it will affect the other case. It’s a separate matter,” Norris said Friday morning.
Okai could face prison time if he is convicted of the alleged theft crimes.
“If you have four or more prior theft crimes, and you’ve convicted of a fifth felony, the judge is required to impose a mandatory minimum sentence of 13 to 19 months in prison,” Norris said.
The owner of Sunset Lanes was unavailable Friday for comment.
Okai’s bond was set at $8,000 cash, according to the arrest warrant.
Since his October arrest, Okai has been practicing law in Ontario, Norris and Kee said.
“He filed a notice of appearance on a case in the justice court,” Norris said.
Okai is listed as an active member of the Oregon State Bar, according to the bar’s Web site.
Kee said lawyers are influential and trusted people in the community, who can be very important in people’s lives.
“The interesting thing about Tom is that he is still practicing law. Amazingly, people in the bar let him do work with no restrictions,” Kee said.
Okai is listed as an “inactive” member of the Idaho State Bar, according to the Idaho State Bar & Idaho Law Foundation Inc. Web site.
However, he is named as a committee member for an Idaho State Bar program that provides attorneys with assistance for problems associated with alcohol, drugs or mental health issues, according to the bar’s Web site.
payette student wrote on Dec 30, 2009 4:48 PM: