Sheriff's Wife, Deputy To Stand Trial On Gambling Counts

CHICKASHA, Okla. (AP) _ The wife of the Grady County sheriff and a sheriff's lieutenant deputy have been ordered to stand trial on felony charges related to a gambling raid. <br/><br/>Special District

Saturday, March 17th 2007, 2:17 pm

By: News On 6

CHICKASHA, Okla. (AP) _ The wife of the Grady County sheriff and a sheriff's lieutenant deputy have been ordered to stand trial on felony charges related to a gambling raid.

Special District Judge Ken Harris bound Helen McMullen, a Chickasha police detective, and deputy Robert Cacy over for trial on Friday following a preliminary hearing. The pair are scheduled for arraignment on March 27, the same day the preliminary hearing for McMullen's husband, Sheriff Kieran McMullen, is set to resume.

Prosecutors originally charged Helen McMullen, Cacy and her husband in December with three felony counts related to conducting and participating in a secret gambling operation at the Chickasha Elks Lodge.

They are among seven current and former law enforcement officers who were initially charged in the case.

The defendants are accused of operating gaming machines that netted the lodge between $48,000 and $72,000 annually.

Defense attorneys say money deposited into the machines went into an ``amusement fund.''

Harris excluded the sheriff from Friday's preliminary hearing when his attorney, David Autry, couldn't appear because a murder trial in which he's involved in Oklahoma City.

The judge also dismissed two felony counts for conducting illegal gambling and conspiracy to commit crimes and bad acts due to ``a lack of evidence,'' but kept intact a count of a peace officer engaging in illegal gambling.

``On count one, I feel there is reasonable evidence a crime has been committed,'' the judge said.

Former Chickasha police Lt. Jerry Tyler, 51, pleaded guilty two months ago to gambling and willful neglect of duty. He retired shortly after being charged.

If convicted, Helen McMullen, her husband and Cacy could face between one and 10 years in state prison.