Court Documents Reveal Turmoil At Home Where Deputies Were Shot

Court documents reveal turmoil inside an Oklahoma City home where two deputies were shot, one of them fatally, while enforcing an eviction. 

Records show Oklahoma City police and deputies with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office had visited the home several times over the past month. 

According to documents the owner of the house filed for a protective order against Benjamin Plank in early August. 

Records show a powder keg had been brewing for weeks. 

Outside a southwest Oklahoma City home Sgt. Bobby Swartz and another deputy were apparently ambushed Monday afternoon. 

The two went to the home to enforce an eviction notice. 

According to records, on August 11 the homeowner petitioned for a protective order against 35-year-old Plank who was living with her. In the petition, the owner wrote, "he has become extremely verbally abusive and has stated several times to take his gun and end it all," and "he has no less than 8 guns in the house which he brings out and walks around with." 

The homeowner said she filed for a protective order following a series of incidents that began July 24, when she felt threatened by Plank and called police. 

Then on August 1, the owner served Plank eviction papers which she said he ignored. 

Four days later, records show police were called again after the owner returned home to find Plank had locked her out of her house. 

She told police, "He unplugged my garage door & deadbolted my front door."  

An emergency protective order was issued. The document showed a judge ordered Plank to surrender all of his firearms to local law enforcement and to not have contact with the petitioner. 

Records also show a court hearing on the protective order was scheduled for Tuesday, August 23.