Tulsa, Oklahoma, Settles Police Corruption Case for $425K

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A federal lawsuit filed against the city of Tulsa by a man who was freed from prison following an investigation into police corruption has been settled for $425,000.

Larry Wayne Barnes Sr. was convicted in April 2008 of two drug crimes and released from prison after serving 16 months of a 66-month sentence. Attorneys for both sides confirmed the settlement, the Tulsa World reported.

Barnes, 63, said the city knew of prior misbehavior by former Officer Jeff Henderson and other city police officers who were involved in his arrest yet failed to take appropriate steps to supervise them. Henderson, who was convicted of violating suspects’ civil rights and committing perjury, completed a 42-month prison term in October.

Henderson is one of four officers convicted after the investigation into corruption in the Tulsa Police Department that led to the release of Barnes and nearly 50 other people.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett attended the settlement conference in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, according to city spokeswoman Michelle Allen.

Last month, Barnes’ 37-year-old daughter, Larita Barnes, reached a $300,000 settlement with the city. She was convicted in April 2008 of two drug charges and was sentenced in October 2008 to 10 years in prison. She was freed on July 2, 2009, as a result of a court order in the fallout of the police corruption investigation.

The city also reached a $35,000 settlement earlier this month with Bobby Wayne Haley Sr., 59, who had served four years of a 22-year sentence in a federal cocaine case. In August, the city settled for $50,000 a lawsuit brought by 33-year-old Demario T. Harris, who had been convicted in Tulsa federal court in April 2005 of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in November 2005 to life in prison but was ordered freed in October 2010.

“Each case has been looked at independently,” said Guy Fortney, an attorney representing the city in the litigation. “Each of the plaintiffs is in a very different position.”