Criminal Case Falls Through The Cracks Due To Jurisdiction; Suspect Accused Of More Serious Crime

We are learning more about a criminal case that fell through the cracks last year. Strangulation charges were filed last spring against Tracy Mannon but were dropped due to the US Supreme Court ruling on tribal jurisdiction.

Neither the federal courts nor tribal courts picked up the case, and now Mannon is charged with stabbing her mother to death in Wilburton.

The Muskogee County DA expressed his frustration about the lack of prosecution on the strangulation case, now leading to a more serious case.

The Muscogee Creek Nation says they never received the case.

Muskogee County DA Larry Edwards says he sent the case to the U.S. Attorney's office because strangulation is a major crime under federal law, and under the McGirt ruling, the U.S. Attorney’s Office decides first whether to file the charge or move the case to tribal court.

Tracy Mannon was charged on April 11 in Muskogee County Court with strangling her 17-year-old daughter with a rope.

Because Mannon is a tribal member, her case was dismissed, and the DA says he sent the records to the U.S. Attorney's office on June 12.

The U.S. Attorney's office says they did get the information from the Edwards and tried to send it to the Muscogee Creek Nation twice through email. They say it didn’t go through, and they’re looking into why a third attempt was not made.

Geri Wisner, the Attorney General for the Muscogee Creek Nation, says they have a good working relationship with the U.S. Attorney’s office but says it's not their responsibility to give her office the information.

"We call frequently, they will call us frequently, we will go to each other’s offices, they were at the Justice at the Reservation conference," she said.

Wisner says Muskogee County's cross-deputization agreement allows the DA to send information on cases directly to tribal courts without going through the U.S. Attorney’s office. 

"Muskogee County should have forwarded that information to the Muscogee Creek Nation,” said Wisner. “That's what our cross-deputization says that we are supposed to do, so I don't need to play a three-way party, that's between the Creek Nation and the Muskogee County." 

Wisner says her office has received two strangulation cases from the DA's office before, and both those cases were prosecuted. 

Edwards says where he sends cases depends on whether the crimes are considered major crimes under federal law.

Wisner says more cross-deputization training could be one way to make sure more cases don't fall through the cracks in the future.

"Communication in any kind of relationship is paramount. Maybe that's the problem, but it's hard for me to call and address these things when I don't know about them in the first place," said Wisner.

Mannon is now charged in federal court after being accused of stabbing her mother to death inside her home on February 26.