OILTON, Okla. — A former Oilton police sergeant is in jail and charged with crimes in two counties for separate incidents—one, a rape that allegedly occurred when he was an Inola officer.
Joseph Beers is charged in Creek County with aggravated assault, trespassing and kidnapping. According to the affidavit, the then-Oilton police sergeant was acting out of his jurisdiction when he slammed Willard Walbridge, Jr., 76, to the ground, causing a heart incident that hospitalized him.
The incident outraged the Oilton community when 2 News first covered the story in April of 2024.
“He’s a real good citizen. He’s always there for the city and always there for somebody,” Jordan Rouintree told 2 News.
Although the police chief at the time believed Beers acted accordingly, Beers resigned. 2 News called the OPD. Chief Joe Hefley told us he had no comment, other than he is a new chief and there is an entirely new department from when the incident occurred.
The charges were filed May 15.
On May 16, Rogers County prosecutors charged Beers with rape for an alleged incident in 2019. Prior to his time in Oilton, Beers was an Inola police officer.
According to documents, the victim had been drinking in Tulsa’s Brookside area and attempted to drive home, but pulled over instead. She was allegedly later awakened by Beers, who told her she “had a lot to lose.” The victim says Beers told her that he would allow her parents to pick her up, if he could touch her.
The victim said that is when he sexually assaulted her. Beers told investigators he thought it was consensual.
The affidavit states the victim settled out of court with Beers on a lawsuit regarding the event. It is unclear why criminal charges were not filed until six years later or how much was known about the alleged rape when Beers got the job in Oilton.
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