Former Police Officer Sentenced

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ A former Muskogee police captain has received a one-year suspended sentence and a $1,000 fine after being found guilty of filing a false insurance claim. <br/><br/>A Muskogee County

Sunday, October 7th 2007, 7:12 pm

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ A former Muskogee police captain has received a one-year suspended sentence and a $1,000 fine after being found guilty of filing a false insurance claim.

A Muskogee County jury convicted Jim Wooten in late July and he was sentenced on Friday. Wooten's request for a new trial was denied by District Judge Mike Norman.

Wooten plans to appeal the ruling.

Prosecutors had alleged Wooten filed a false insurance claim after he reported a golf bag and a pistol stolen from his home in 2002. During a 2005 search of Wooten's home, police said they found both items.

Wooten, who had 24 years of police experience, was fired from his job in November 2005, although the city's merit board system reversed that termination a month later. He had been on suspension with pay until he was found guilty, when he said his pay stopped.