
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — Three men from out of state who are accused of committing a home invasion robbery at a marijuana grow facility in rural Ripley have been released from the Payne County Jail on $100,000 bail each with an order to appear in court on March 3.
William McKinley Warner Jr., 50, of Canoga Park, CA, Henry James Mason, 58, of Mableton, GA, and Devin Alonzo Elliott, 29, of Conroe, TX, could each be given as much as a 70-year prison term if convicted of first-degree burglary and robbery committed by two or more persons, court records show.
The trio were arrested by the Payne County Sheriff’s Office after multiple deputies responded to a 911 call about a burglary in progress around 4 a.m. on Jan. 16 at a marijuana grow facility at 6121 S. Bethel Rd. in rural Ripley, court records show.
Payne County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Pruitt wrote in an affidavit, “I saw what appeared to be two vehicles parked on the roadway, with no lights on, just north of the residence. I could see what appeared to be two adult males in the driver and front passenger seat of the first vehicle,” a black Ford SUV with a Nevada license tag.
“As I passed this vehicle, the driver turned the vehicle’s lights on and began to drive south on Bethel Rd.,” while the second vehicle, a white Jeep SUV with a California tag appeared unoccupied.
“I initiated a traffic stop on the Ford SUV that was attempting to leave the scene. The driver, later identified as Henry Mason, provided me with his Georgia driver’s license upon request. I then spoke to the passenger, later identified as William Warner, who provided me with his California ID card upon request.
“Henry and William both told me William was a rapper who wanted to shoot a music video for one of his songs and that he wanted to do it at a marijuana grow facility because the song was called ‘Grow.’ I asked William why he came to Oklahoma to shoot the video and if California had plenty of marijuana facilities he could have chosen from. William confirmed California did not have any good marijuana facilities so that is why he came to Oklahoma.
“Henry and William both denied knowing anything about the vehicle that was parked just a few feet behind theirs or anything about the people that might have been in it but insisted they had nothing to do with what those other people might be doing. Henry and William were both wearing dark clothing at this time.
“I placed Henry and William in investigative detention while I continued my investigation. Deputy Diego Gutierrez and Deputy Spencer Gedon spoke to the victims. Deputy Gutierrez informed me the victims had said approximately five or six black males dressed in dark clothing had broken into their house through the back door and had held all of the victims at gunpoint while the suspects searched through the house.
“We found a hole that had been cut in the barbed wire fence next to where these two vehicles were parked. Some tracks led through the hole in the fence and onto the property that had been burglarized. We also found a black beanie lying on the ground close to the vehicles,” the affidavit alleged
While inventorying the unattended white Jeep SUV to be impounded, Deputy Pruitt alleged, “I located a cellphone in the driver-side door pocket. This phone still had the victim’s address pulled up on the navigation app, which was visible when I picked up the phone. I also found several pairs of gray and black work gloves and several black face masks. I seized an empty Granny’s cup, an empty Red Bull can, the cell phone, and a small flashlight from this vehicle to be processed as evidence.
“Deputy Gutierrez took photos of Henry and William’s clothing and showed them to the victims. One of the victims positively identified Henry’s boots and pants as one of the suspects that was inside his house. Due to the odor of marijuana coming from Henry’s vehicle, I conducted a probable cause search of this vehicle.
“I found several pairs of gloves and black masks identical to the ones in the Jeep. I also found a cell phone in this vehicle with the victim’s address pulled up in the navigation app. Two cell phones were seized from this vehicle to be submitted into evidence.
“Deputy Gutierrez found a Hyper tough brand battery-powered grinder near the back door just inside the residence. The victims said it belonged to the suspects that had broken into their house. Deputy Gutierrez found the tightening/loosening tool for this grinder in the center console of Henry’s vehicle. I informed Henry he was under arrest for first-degree burglary. Sgt. Scott Hopper informed William that he was under arrest. We both transported these two suspects to the Payne County Jail.”
In another affidavit, Deputy Spencer Gedon alleged, “Deputy Gutierrez and I went to the house, and as I was walking up the porch, I observed broken glass on the porch near the back door and the window of the back door was broken. I knocked on the door and was let in by (a man) who told me he was the only person in the house that spoke English.
“I asked him what happened, and he told me he heard banging by the back door and people coming inside. He went on to say he was in his bedroom and called 911. While on the phone with 911, a man dressed in all black broke into his bedroom, took the phone, and dragged him into the living room/kitchen area. I asked if he could describe the man, and he said all black clothes, black male, wearing a mask, and had a hood that was up.
“I asked if he could describe the other individuals, and he said he believed there to be approximately six individuals all dressed approximately the same but was told to look at the ground, and when he tried to look up, he was punched on the left side of his face. I asked him if he saw any weapons, and he told me one individual had a pistol, two had crowbars, and one had a grinder.”
Translating for a woman in the residence, the man said she saw two individuals with pistols; he added that the men told them to give them all of their money, or they would shoot the woman, the affidavit alleged. “He said they all had black pants, some appeared to be black sweatpants, and some appeared to be black military-style pants. He said several had black combat-style boots, one or two had brown/yellow ‘construction’ boots, and one had white sneakers. He said they all had masks on, and they were wearing black gloves,” Deputy Gedon alleged in his affidavit.
Another man in the house said, through a translator, that “he was hit in the top of the head by what he thought was a flashlight,” the affidavit said. He had a red mark with swelling above his right eyebrow near his hairline; no one else reported any injuries, the affidavit alleged.
The other man, who spoke English, said, “they took a couple hundred dollars in cash, but did not think they had taken anything else. He said while they were all being held in the living room/kitchen area, the other men went through all the bedrooms looking for money. He went on to say they also collected everyone’s cell phone and took them when they ran out the door when Deputy Pruitt arrived on the scene.
“I asked (him) if we could check the grow houses for anyone hiding in the buildings, and he permitted me to search the building. Deputy Gutierrez, Sgt. Hopper, and myself searched the building but did not find anyone hiding inside or around them,” Deputy Gedon alleged in his affidavit.
While Deputies Gedon and Gutierrez were walking to the road, they received a call about a suspicious person southeast of the marijuana grow on the same mile section, the affidavit said. “The reporting party advised there was a black male in all-black clothing on his front porch,” but he was not located despite a search of the area, the affidavit said.
Deputy Gedon alleged in his affidavit that at 7:21 am Sgt. Scott Hopper was called about “a black male in all-black clothing running west on 68th just west of Bethel. Myself and Lt. Nack responded to the area and contacted a black male in black sweatpants and a black hoodie. While placing him in handcuffs, I observed a laceration on his left palm that appeared fresh, and he was missing his right shoe.
“After standing Devin up, I noticed he had several tears in his sweatpants, a laceration on the top of his right foot, and small twigs and brush stuck to his clothing. While patting Devin down, I found a large wad of cash in his right front pocket. The money was not folded but was crumpled and wadded together and appeared to be shoved in his pocket quickly.
“I took photos of the left shoe Devin was wearing and his injuries. Deputy Gutierrez took photos of Devin’s clothing. Lt. Nack asked Devin if he wanted an ambulance to come check him out and he said ‘yes.’ I asked Devin if he wanted to talk to me, and he nodded his head no. LifeNet responded and transported Devin to the hospital. Sgt. Joe Henninger followed the ambulance. Before the ambulance left, I informed Devin he was under arrest. Sgt. Henninger and I counted the money I found in Devin’s pocket, and we concluded there was $176.
While deputies were searching for the missing shoe, “Sgt. Ross found the shoe in a briar patch behind the grow next to a black medical mask. I photographed the shoe and mask before collecting them for evidence. I observed the shoe Ross found was an exact match to the shoe that Devin still had, and the shoe we found was a right shoe,” Deputy Gedon alleged in his affidavit.