Sadly, it wasn't unusual in those days for violent sex criminals like Hart to be released on parole after serving only a small part of their sentence. This was Hart's first serious crime and perhaps they wanted to give him a second chance. Most of the people living in Locust Grove were his family members, so they probably pressured the courts to give him another chance.
However, in 1969, Hart was caught breaking into the apartment of Heather Campbell, a Tulsa police officer. She awoke to hear someone picking the lock on her front door. As he came in the door she told him to stop, but he didn't. She grabbed her service revolver off the bedside table and cocked it. He heard the sound and took off. She called police who arrived in a few minutes. They found Hart trying to break into another apartment on the floor above Campbell's. Durrr. He claimed he was looking for a friend and thought he was at a different apartment complex. He claimed he took a cab to get there. He wasn't wearing glasses this time and tripped a lot, couldn't read, etc. Police asked him where he parked his car, they needed to move it before it got towed. Not thinking, he told them where it was - a '63 white Chevy, parked a couple of blocks away from the apartment building. When is lawyer arrived, he talked to him and convinced him to plead guilty. He admitted trying to break into Officer Campbell's apartment.
When they searched his car, they found several items, including a woman's purse, that had been stolen from other apartments. In one, couple weeks earlier, he had broken into the apartment of a married couple by taking the screen out of their window and climbing in. He robbed 2 other apartments in the weeks prior, taking wallets, a paring knife from a kitchen and a woman's purse. All were done while owners were home, asleep.
In September 1969, he went on trial for the break in at Heather Campbell's apartment. The prosecutor offered to bargain a reduced sentence, but Hart refused. He was found guilty and sentenced to 30 to 90 years in the State Penitentiary.
He was also tried for the other burglaries, refused to plea bargain and was also sentenced to long terms in the penitentiary.
"On April 25, 1973, Hart was transferred from McAlester to Mayes County Jail so he could appear for post-conviction relief involving the rape-kidnapping charges imposed in 1966. Five days later Hart and another inmate, Larry Dry, escaped from the Mayes County Jail by sawing through the bars. On May 25, 1973, Hart was captured and charged with Second Degree Burglary after allegedly breaking into a home in Strang, OK. He was also charged with possessing a sawed off shotgun. On September 16, 1973, Hart again escaped from the Mayes County Jail along with Dry and another inmate. The other two were captured but Hart remained at large. "
Some police didn't think Hart was just breaking in to people's homes to rob them while sleeping. Most burglars would make sure the home was empty. Some considered this the M.O. of a rapist.
Quoted text is from Chapter 4 of Someone Cry for the Children. The rest is paraphrased from that chapter. I'm too busy to type all of it. Much is told by various law enforcement officers who worked on all these cases, as well as the Girl Scout Murders. It's a very long list of LE officers, prosecutors and judges and you pretty much need a "cheat sheet" to keep up with who is talking or being quoted.
However, in 1969, Hart was caught breaking into the apartment of Heather Campbell, a Tulsa police officer. She awoke to hear someone picking the lock on her front door. As he came in the door she told him to stop, but he didn't. She grabbed her service revolver off the bedside table and cocked it. He heard the sound and took off. She called police who arrived in a few minutes. They found Hart trying to break into another apartment on the floor above Campbell's. Durrr. He claimed he was looking for a friend and thought he was at a different apartment complex. He claimed he took a cab to get there. He wasn't wearing glasses this time and tripped a lot, couldn't read, etc. Police asked him where he parked his car, they needed to move it before it got towed. Not thinking, he told them where it was - a '63 white Chevy, parked a couple of blocks away from the apartment building. When is lawyer arrived, he talked to him and convinced him to plead guilty. He admitted trying to break into Officer Campbell's apartment.
When they searched his car, they found several items, including a woman's purse, that had been stolen from other apartments. In one, couple weeks earlier, he had broken into the apartment of a married couple by taking the screen out of their window and climbing in. He robbed 2 other apartments in the weeks prior, taking wallets, a paring knife from a kitchen and a woman's purse. All were done while owners were home, asleep.
In September 1969, he went on trial for the break in at Heather Campbell's apartment. The prosecutor offered to bargain a reduced sentence, but Hart refused. He was found guilty and sentenced to 30 to 90 years in the State Penitentiary.
He was also tried for the other burglaries, refused to plea bargain and was also sentenced to long terms in the penitentiary.
"On April 25, 1973, Hart was transferred from McAlester to Mayes County Jail so he could appear for post-conviction relief involving the rape-kidnapping charges imposed in 1966. Five days later Hart and another inmate, Larry Dry, escaped from the Mayes County Jail by sawing through the bars. On May 25, 1973, Hart was captured and charged with Second Degree Burglary after allegedly breaking into a home in Strang, OK. He was also charged with possessing a sawed off shotgun. On September 16, 1973, Hart again escaped from the Mayes County Jail along with Dry and another inmate. The other two were captured but Hart remained at large. "
Some police didn't think Hart was just breaking in to people's homes to rob them while sleeping. Most burglars would make sure the home was empty. Some considered this the M.O. of a rapist.
Quoted text is from Chapter 4 of Someone Cry for the Children. The rest is paraphrased from that chapter. I'm too busy to type all of it. Much is told by various law enforcement officers who worked on all these cases, as well as the Girl Scout Murders. It's a very long list of LE officers, prosecutors and judges and you pretty much need a "cheat sheet" to keep up with who is talking or being quoted.
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