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McAlester News-Capital
By Rachel Petersen Staff Writer
September 1, 2011
McALESTER The former Krebs city councilman who resigned after a standoff with police in 2010 pleaded no contest Friday in the Pittsburg County District Court to various felony and misdemeanor charges.
Brandon M. DeFrange, 32, was arrested in October of 2010 outside of his Krebs home after he pointed a loaded shotgun at McAlester and Krebs police officers, according to court records. The officers were called to the home after someone reported shots being fired, and DeFrange came out of his home pointing a loaded shotgun, a police affidavit by Krebs police Ptl. Dustin Nash states.
The standoff followed a 911 call to police by the town’s mayor, Bobby Watkins, who said a resident had called him to report that DeFrange had threatened to kill Krebs Police Chief Dennis Cook.
After DeFrange dropped his weapon, and the standoff ended, DeFrange was taken into custody, according to Nash’s report. Later, at the Pittsburg County Jail, Nash said he and another officer interviewed DeFrange who reported “he never intended to hurt anybody; he just wanted the police to shoot him.”
DeFrange also told police that he had drunk beer and consumed three Xanax and two Cymbalta earlier that day, according to statements in the probable cause affidavit. Xanax is a brand of alprazolam, a medication used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and Cymbalta is a brand of duloxetine, which is used to treat depression and anxiety.
At the time of the crime, DeFrange had been a member of Krebs’ five-person City Council for about a year. He later submitted his resignation from the Krebs city council, and its motion passed unanimously among the remaining Krebs council members during their October 2010 monthly meeting.
For the rest of the story, wee Wednesday’s issue of the McAlester News-Capital.
Contact Rachel Petersen at rpetersen@mcalesternews.com.