Acid attack reward offered

Saturday, December 22nd 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation officials hope a $5,000 reward will bring forward someone with information about who threw a jar of acid on a car driving on Interstate 44 six months ago.

Jim Maxwell and Cynphia Broaddus were driving north on the H.E. Bailey turnpike near Newcastle June 5 when someone threw sulfuric acid on their car.

The jar, thrown from the Country Club Road overpass, crashed through the passenger side of the car's windshield, the OSBI said. Broaddus suffered second-degree burns on her arms, face and neck. Maxwell had less severe burns on 10 percent of his body.

Authorities are offering the reward because they do not have a suspect, OSBI spokeswoman Kym Koch said.

``We thought posting this reward so close to Christmas might encourage people to come forward with information,'' Koch said. ``We also thought the culprits ought to know that Ms. Broaddus is still suffering the effects of this crime six months later and will probably suffer, in one way or another, for the rest of her life.''

The reward is on top of $13,000 in private rewards being offered.

Broaddus is the sister-in-law of Dr. Phil McGraw, who is a regular on the Oprah Winfrey Show.