By: Patti Weaver

(Stillwater, Okla.) — A Stillwater man has been jailed on $200,000 bail pending a Feb. 1 court appearance on multiple charges including shooting with intent to kill a sheriff’s deputy, pointing his .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol at a truck driver, and attempting to elude law enforcement after a chase that began in Perkins for a traffic violation on a pickup at 3:54 pm on Jan. 16.

At the time of his arrest 39 minutes later on Yost Road east of Highway 108 in Glencoe, Raul Castro Benavidez III, 26, was on probation for possession of methamphetamine and stolen property in 2015 in Perkins, where he had previously lived, court records show.

Benavidez was also being sought on bench warrants after he was released from the Beckham County Jail and left court-ordered inpatient treatment on Dec. 2 in connection with his charges of drug possession with intent to distribute, along with assault and battery, leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license in 2020 in Beckham County, court records show.

If convicted of all of his Payne County charges on which he was arraigned this week, Benavidez could be given four life prison terms plus 21 years’ incarceration, court records show.

Though Benavidez allegedly pointed his gun and fired at Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy Justin Henninger, who returned fire — “firing three rounds at the suspect through the windshield of his patrol vehicle” — according to an affidavit, neither was apparently struck.

Benavidez was arrested at 4:33 pm on Jan. 16 after Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy David Sloan and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Matt Stacey “converged on the suspect in the middle of Yost Road,” Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers wrote in an affidavit.

At 7:53 pm that night, “Investigator L.A. Kellison and I interviewed Raul at the Payne County Sheriff’s Office interview room,” Myers wrote in his affidavit.

“Raul admitted he was the one that initially ran from Perkins police. He admitted he was driving the truck when he was pursued again by Deputy Sloan in the area of 44th and Union. He admitted that he was able to lose the pursuing law enforcement until he was southbound at Lone Chimney Road on Hwy. 108 where Deputy Henninger turned around on him.

“He told us that his truck was having transmission problems and the truck would not continue at Yost and Hwy. 108. He said that he exited his pickup, dropping his cell phone. He told us he picked up his phone and pulled the pistol from its holster. He admitted to running south along the fence line, crossing Yost Road with the gun in his hand.

“He admitted that when Deputy Henninger was behind him, he raised his gun, firing two rounds at Deputy Henninger. He said that he continued running around the east side of the residence and north through the yard back towards Yost Road. He approached the white pickup, pointing the gun at the driver and the driver speeding off. He told us that his intent was to take the truck from the victim to get away,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.

***