Oklahoma City Police Chief Calls For Stricter Sentences, Higher Bonds, Hoping To Crack Down On Violent Repeat Offenders

Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley is calling for stricter sentences and higher bonds, hoping to crack down on repeat offenders. This comes after an 18-year-old with a violent past was arrested for murder last week.

Doneto Patrick was arrested for murder after a May shooting at Will Rogers Courts Apartments. Public records show Patrick had a juvenile criminal record and was arrested and released twice as an adult this year for violent offenses before the May homicide. 

Following his arrest, Oklahoma City Police posted to social media, giving this timeline:

1. January 30, 2024: Doneto Patrick was arrested for possession of a firearm, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, and obstructing an officer. Despite the serious nature of these charges, Patrick was ordered to serve only 3-days in jail and released on February 2, 2024.
2. May 14, 2024: Patrick was again taken into custody for possession of a firearm, his bond set at $3,000 and he was released just five days later, on May 19, 2024.
3. May 22, 2024: Homicide was committed at 1450 Westwood Boulevard. Investigators identified Patrick as a suspect and a first-degree murder warrant for his arrest was issued on May 27, 2024.
4. May 28, 2024: Patrick was arrested on a complaint of first-degree murder.

Oklahoma City police chief Wade Gourley said in a statement: “Low bond amounts on firearms offenses for violent repeat offenders also undermine the safety of our community and need to be addressed with stricter bail conditions for repeat offenders. 

We spoke with News 9 Legal Analyst, Irven Box, who agrees that violent repeat offenders should not be out on the streets, but says this particular case may have just fallen through the cracks. 

“The young man was let out of jail three or four times for violent crimes and finally charged with murder,” said Box.

“The repeat offenders are a significant threat,” said Box. “It's kind of an anomaly I think.”

Box says he doesn’t think it’s a broken system, but says it’s also not a perfect system.

“Because of the sheer volume of cases that come through every single day, some of these are going to fall through the cracks and unfortunately in this case, that is what happened,” said Box.

Box says he does agree with the chief that repeat offenders need to be put behind bars, but sometimes says mistakes happen.

“Unless somebody brings it to the attention of the judge, the judge is going to set a standard bond, which he did in this particular case,” said Box. “The chief is right, some of them are going to get released, that’s going to happen sometimes we can't be 100 percent but we don't need to change the system because of one bad case.”

Full statement from Chief Wade Gourley:

"These repeated releases are not only frustrating but also pose a significant threat to public safety," said Police Chief Wade Gourley. “Low bond amounts on firearms offenses for violent repeat offenders also undermine the safety of our community and need to be addressed with stricter bail conditions for repeat offenders. It is imperative that individuals with such a clear history of violent behavior are not allowed back onto our streets to reoffend."

Full statement from District Attorney Vicki Behenna:

“The Oklahoma County jail bail schedule is set by the Court and issued by administrative order. However, there is a process in the DA’s Office to obtain higher bonds than what is outlined in the jail bail schedule. If law enforcement officers know of a defendant’s dangerousness and believe the bond should be set higher, an ADA will make that request of the Court.

"Our law enforcement partners routinely share information they have about a defendant’s dangerousness with us so we can secure a higher bond when warranted.“