Evidence In Alleged Drug Case In Wagoner County Likely To Be Heard

Monday, May 8th 2006, 5:56 am

By: News On 6

WAGONER, Okla. (AP) -- A former assistant district attorney for Cherokee and Muskogee counties will have her preliminary hearing on charges that she took drugs from a crime scene and then tried to cover up the incident.

Evidence in the case against 49-year-old Janet Bickel that could be aired today during the hearing in Wagoner County District Court includes information obtained from a wiretap of Bickel's cellular phone.

The state multi-county grand jury has indicted Bickel and District Attorney Richard Gray's office administrator, Vyrl Keeter. Bickel is charged with methamphetamine possession and offering false evidence. Keeter is charged with attempting to persuade a grand jury witness to give false testimony.

The same grand jury is investigating Gray, who is the district attorney for Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah and Wagoner counties. He has not been charged and has denied any wrongdoing.