Van Meter's sister-in-law says he had money problems

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Former state Health Department deputy director Brent Van Meter didn't have his first run-in with the court system this week, when he was arrested for taking bribes. <br><br>His

Friday, May 5th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- Former state Health Department deputy director Brent Van Meter didn't have his first run-in with the court system this week, when he was arrested for taking bribes.

His own sister-in-law says she spent thousands of dollars trying to get her sister and Van Meter to make good on a promissory note. Catherine Dougherty of Hinton says the Van Meters signed the note with her parents to buy the family home.

But Dougherty says Van Meter had fallen behind in his payments and that her father, Evans Nash, had begun action to foreclose on the home.

But when he died in 1994, the defaulted note became an issue in the contested estate.

It was resolved when the Van Meters were ordered to pay the estate $21,000, in exchange for the house and the clearing of $201,000 of debt.