(Watonga, OK) A former Watonga police chief is facing charges of assault & battery and first-degree burglary from an incident in August of 2019.
William Shawn Kays was charged with the misdemeanor and felony counts on Thursday, July 22nd, in Blaine County, according to court documents. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, who is overseeing the case, issued a warrant for his arrest.
According to the case affidavit, the Watonga Police Department officers responded to a residence on 4th Street in Watonga on Aug. 13th, 2019 around 4:45 p.m., after the tenant, who was down the street from the home at the time, reported a man had entered his home.
Officers spoke with a woman who was living at the residence for several minutes about leaving the home and told her that she would be arrested if she did not leave, per the affidavit.
The woman refused to leave after saying she lived at the residence and that her belongings were inside. Officers entered the home and did not find anybody else except the woman. About five minutes later, Kays, who was the WPD police chief at this time, arrived and was not in uniform, according to affidavit. Kays spoke with the officers, who told them the call was not concerning the woman but the man who was seen entering the home without permission.
Another woman, who was identified as a relative of the tenant, was outside the home speaking with Kays and the officers, per the affidavit. Kays told the woman outside that she would have to start the eviction process, and the woman inside was informed that she could not be arrested because the tenant allowed her to be at the residence.
Kays asked for further clarification about the call and was told it was regarding an intruder, not the woman inside. Kays approached the back porch and made contact with the woman inside. According to the affidavit, Kays did not identify himself as a police officer to the woman and asked her if she lived at the residence, telling her that “she was a burglar if she could not prove she lived” at the residence.
Kays grabbed the outer screen door to hold it open. Per to the affidavit, Kays began walking inside while the woman said, “Don’t do it.” and “Don’t touch me.”
Kays was saying “This ain’t your home” and continued to hold the screen door open as he advanced inside the residence. The woman tried to prevent him from coming inside by putting her hand on his chest, according to the affidavit, but Kays proceeded to “forcefully shoved” the woman back into the home and continued to yell at her.
WPD entered and tried to restrain the woman, according to the affidavit. Kays then “forcefully shoved” the woman outside, telling the officers to handcuff her while she was on the ground.
Kays caused her to “yell out in pain” after forcefully pulling the woman’s right arm behind her back and up toward her head.
The woman was taken into custody, but no charges were filed against her in relation to the incident.
Watonga City Manager Larry Mitchell said Kays was dismissed on June 15th after being place on paid admirative leave on May 22nd after the incident was reviewed by local officials.
Kays’ firing came after an emergency protective order was filed against him on June 14th by a different woman with whom he had been in a relationship.
