Bart Perrier Sheriff

Serving and Protecting
Osage County, Oklahoma

Oklahoma’s Largest County

Oklahoma map

At the Osage County Sheriff’s Office, our mission is to provide a solid foundation on which the residents of Osage County can thrive. We are committed to building public trust and fostering safe, secure communities through professional, high-quality professional law enforcement.

Osage County holds a unique place in Oklahoma’s history and geography. As the state’s largest county by area, it was established in 1907 when Oklahoma gained statehood. The county’s name and heritage are deeply tied to the federally recognized Osage Nation, whose reservation boundaries are coextensive with the county itself. This land became the Osage Nation Reservation in the 19th century following the relocation of the Osage people from Kansas.

The county seat, Pawhuska, is one of the first three towns founded in the county and remains a hub of history and culture. As of the 2020 Census, Osage County had a population of 45,818 residents.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county spans an impressive 2,304 square miles (5,970 km²), with 2,246 square miles (5,820 km²) of land and 58 square miles (150 km²) of water, accounting for 2.5% of its total area. Much of the landscape is part of the Osage Plains, characterized by open prairie, while the eastern portion features the rolling Osage Hills—an extension of Kansas’ Flint Hills. Nature enthusiasts can also explore the renowned Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, located just north of Pawhuska, where remnants of the once-vast tallgrass ecosystem are carefully preserved.

WHAT’S HAPPENING LOCALLY


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𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝟭𝟬𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲

On August 28, 1923, tragedy struck the town of Avant, Oklahoma, when its namesake and founder, Ben Franklin Avant, was shot down on the very square that had once been part of his homestead. The man who pulled the trigger was City Marshal Homer Penequine, a controversial lawman with a checkered past.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻

Ben Avant was no ordinary settler. Born in Gonzales, Texas, he first visited Osage County in 1892 and returned three years later to make it his home. In 1895, he married Rosalie Rogers, an Osage-Cherokee woman, and together they began ranching on her Osage allotment lands. Avant quickly became a respected figure in the community, not only for his ranching but also for his service as a deputy sheriff.

When the Midland Valley Railroad pushed through the region, Avant’s ranch became the nucleus of a new settlement. In 1904, the post office was established, and in 1905, the town was officially incorporated as Avant, in his honor. What began as open pastureland grew into a bustling oil boomtown, with banks, stores, and automobiles crowding streets that had once seen only horses and wagons.

But for Avant, some habits remained unchanged. He still preferred his horse, and when he rode into town on that late August day in 1923, he expected to hitch his reins to the corner post—just as he had done a quarter-century earlier.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲

Times had changed, however, and automobiles now dominated the public square. Marshal Homer Penequine ordered Avant not to tie his horse there, threatening him with arrest. The two men exchanged heated words. According to witnesses, Penequine even searched Avant for weapons before the argument seemed to cool. The two shook hands, and Avant rode back toward his home.

But the dispute was not over. Within the hour, Avant returned to town, riding south along Main Street before turning west onto Broadway. He looped back east on Broadway, then turned north again onto Main, as if deliberately circling the square to make his point. At the northwest corner of Main and Broadway, he dismounted and led his horse to the curb. Bending over, he began hitching his reins by pinning them beneath a sandstone rock.

As he straightened up, Penequine stepped forward from a few feet away. The marshal spoke only two words—“Mr. Avant—”—before drawing his revolver and firing. Three bullets struck the 55-year-old rancher, killing him almost instantly in the street of the town that bore his name.

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The shooting stunned the town. Avant was not just another resident—he was its founder, a pioneer whose name the place carried. Outrage spread quickly through the crowd that gathered in the square. Feeling ran high, and most of the citizens sided with Avant.

Rather than let the marshal slip away, angry townspeople seized Penequine on the spot. They placed him under guard and escorted him to Pawhuska, where they delivered him to Sheriff Charles Musselwhite at the Osage County Jail. A charge of murder was formally lodged against him, ensuring the matter would be tried in court.

𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁

If Ben Avant’s legacy was that of a respected pioneer and lawman, Homer Penequine’s reputation leaned toward suspicion and notoriety. The 32-year-old marshal had only recently arrived in Avant from Okmulgee County, where his law enforcement career had already unraveled. His deputy sheriff’s commission there was revoked by order of Governor Jack C. Walton following a state military investigation into mob violence and masked night-riding—an echo of the Ku Klux Klan’s influence that unsettled Oklahoma in the early 1920s.

Even before that, Penequine’s name had surfaced in connection with bloodshed. In 1922, he was arrested for murder in the shooting death of Tom Boggus at Spelter City, Okmulgee County. Boggus had been gunned down by a band of masked men, and several witnesses placed Penequine among them. Though he was released after a preliminary hearing, the stain of the accusation clung to him. Newspapers piled on, remarking that “Penequine previously worked at Sperry, where it is understood he put a couple of notches in his gun.” Whether fact or bravado, such accounts cast him as a man already too familiar with violence.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The killing of Ben Avant sent shockwaves through Osage County, and when the case reached the courtroom, it became one of the county’s most closely watched trials. Prosecutors painted Homer Penequine as a reckless lawman who had gunned down an unarmed community leader in cold blood. Avant, they argued, posed no immediate danger; his only offense was insisting on tying his horse where automobiles now ruled.

The defense countered that Avant had returned armed and had attempted to draw his weapon, leaving the marshal no choice but to fire first. Witnesses were divided, some insisting Avant carried a revolver that day, others swearing he had none.

In the end, the jury refused to convict Penequine of murder but found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter in December 1924. He was sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary. A juror later admitted that what swayed the panel was not just testimony, but the unsettling detail that Penequine’s revolver grip bore two carved notches, which the jury interpreted as grim reminders of past killings.

Penequine appealed, but the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, ruling that he had overstepped his authority when he fired the fatal shots that ended Avant’s life.

Yet prison would not hold him for long. On April 9, 1928, Governor Henry S. Johnston granted Penequine parole after he had served only a portion of his sentence. The parole order stretching more than fifteen pages, the longest of its kind filed during Johnston’s administration, was backed by influential voices, including Miller D. Hay, Chief Inspector, and R. L. Seaman, Secretary of the State Highway Commission. Their recommendations, combined with Penequine’s political connections, won him early release.

By the time he walked free, Homer Penequine’s reputation was cemented. To many, he was not remembered as a marshal, but as a man whose badge had become a shield for violence—a gunman who killed the founder of the very town he was sworn to protect.

𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵

The killing of Ben Avant marked a bitter turning point in the history of the community he helped establish. The man who had brought his family to the Osage Hills, who had married into the Osage people, and whose ranch became the foundation of a town, was struck down in its streets—ironically by the very forces of law and order he once represented.

For the people of Avant, the memory of their founder’s death is inseparable from the town’s origins. What began as a pioneer’s dream ended in a violent clash over something as simple as hitching a horse, a conflict between old ways and new.

Even today, Avant, Oklahoma, carries the name of the man whose life—and whose death—shaped its story.
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10 hours ago
𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝟭𝟬𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲

On August 28, 1923, tragedy struck the town of Avant, Oklahoma, when its namesake and founder, Ben Franklin Avant, was shot down on the very square that had once been part of his homestead. The man who pulled the trigger was City Marshal Homer Penequine, a controversial lawman with a checkered past.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻

Ben Avant was no ordinary settler. Born in Gonzales, Texas, he first visited Osage County in 1892 and returned three years later to make it his home. In 1895, he married Rosalie Rogers, an Osage-Cherokee woman, and together they began ranching on her Osage allotment lands. Avant quickly became a respected figure in the community, not only for his ranching but also for his service as a deputy sheriff.

When the Midland Valley Railroad pushed through the region, Avant’s ranch became the nucleus of a new settlement. In 1904, the post office was established, and in 1905, the town was officially incorporated as Avant, in his honor. What began as open pastureland grew into a bustling oil boomtown, with banks, stores, and automobiles crowding streets that had once seen only horses and wagons.

But for Avant, some habits remained unchanged. He still preferred his horse, and when he rode into town on that late August day in 1923, he expected to hitch his reins to the corner post—just as he had done a quarter-century earlier.

𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗲

Times had changed, however, and automobiles now dominated the public square. Marshal Homer Penequine ordered Avant not to tie his horse there, threatening him with arrest. The two men exchanged heated words. According to witnesses, Penequine even searched Avant for weapons before the argument seemed to cool. The two shook hands, and Avant rode back toward his home.

But the dispute was not over. Within the hour, Avant returned to town, riding south along Main Street before turning west onto Broadway. He looped back east on Broadway, then turned north again onto Main, as if deliberately circling the square to make his point. At the northwest corner of Main and Broadway, he dismounted and led his horse to the curb. Bending over, he began hitching his reins by pinning them beneath a sandstone rock.

As he straightened up, Penequine stepped forward from a few feet away. The marshal spoke only two words—“Mr. Avant—”—before drawing his revolver and firing. Three bullets struck the 55-year-old rancher, killing him almost instantly in the street of the town that bore his name.

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The shooting stunned the town. Avant was not just another resident—he was its founder, a pioneer whose name the place carried. Outrage spread quickly through the crowd that gathered in the square. Feeling ran high, and most of the citizens sided with Avant.

Rather than let the marshal slip away, angry townspeople seized Penequine on the spot. They placed him under guard and escorted him to Pawhuska, where they delivered him to Sheriff Charles Musselwhite at the Osage County Jail. A charge of murder was formally lodged against him, ensuring the matter would be tried in court.

𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲’𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁

If Ben Avant’s legacy was that of a respected pioneer and lawman, Homer Penequine’s reputation leaned toward suspicion and notoriety. The 32-year-old marshal had only recently arrived in Avant from Okmulgee County, where his law enforcement career had already unraveled. His deputy sheriff’s commission there was revoked by order of Governor Jack C. Walton following a state military investigation into mob violence and masked night-riding—an echo of the Ku Klux Klan’s influence that unsettled Oklahoma in the early 1920s.

Even before that, Penequine’s name had surfaced in connection with bloodshed. In 1922, he was arrested for murder in the shooting death of Tom Boggus at Spelter City, Okmulgee County. Boggus had been gunned down by a band of masked men, and several witnesses placed Penequine among them. Though he was released after a preliminary hearing, the stain of the accusation clung to him. Newspapers piled on, remarking that “Penequine previously worked at Sperry, where it is understood he put a couple of notches in his gun.” Whether fact or bravado, such accounts cast him as a man already too familiar with violence.

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

The killing of Ben Avant sent shockwaves through Osage County, and when the case reached the courtroom, it became one of the county’s most closely watched trials. Prosecutors painted Homer Penequine as a reckless lawman who had gunned down an unarmed community leader in cold blood. Avant, they argued, posed no immediate danger; his only offense was insisting on tying his horse where automobiles now ruled.

The defense countered that Avant had returned armed and had attempted to draw his weapon, leaving the marshal no choice but to fire first. Witnesses were divided, some insisting Avant carried a revolver that day, others swearing he had none.

In the end, the jury refused to convict Penequine of murder but found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter in December 1924. He was sentenced to five years in the state penitentiary. A juror later admitted that what swayed the panel was not just testimony, but the unsettling detail that Penequine’s revolver grip bore two carved notches, which the jury interpreted as grim reminders of past killings.

Penequine appealed, but the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the conviction, ruling that he had overstepped his authority when he fired the fatal shots that ended Avant’s life.

Yet prison would not hold him for long. On April 9, 1928, Governor Henry S. Johnston granted Penequine parole after he had served only a portion of his sentence. The parole order stretching more than fifteen pages, the longest of its kind filed during Johnston’s administration, was backed by influential voices, including Miller D. Hay, Chief Inspector, and R. L. Seaman, Secretary of the State Highway Commission. Their recommendations, combined with Penequine’s political connections, won him early release.

By the time he walked free, Homer Penequine’s reputation was cemented. To many, he was not remembered as a marshal, but as a man whose badge had become a shield for violence—a gunman who killed the founder of the very town he was sworn to protect.

𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵

The killing of Ben Avant marked a bitter turning point in the history of the community he helped establish. The man who had brought his family to the Osage Hills, who had married into the Osage people, and whose ranch became the foundation of a town, was struck down in its streets—ironically by the very forces of law and order he once represented.

For the people of Avant, the memory of their founder’s death is inseparable from the town’s origins. What began as a pioneer’s dream ended in a violent clash over something as simple as hitching a horse, a conflict between old ways and new.

Even today, Avant, Oklahoma, carries the name of the man whose life—and whose death—shaped its story.Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office was proud to witness a remarkable moment inside the jail as 55 inmates were baptized. This event was led by Chaplain Mark Buchanan with the assistance of our dedicated Jail Ministry.

We celebrate this step of faith for all who accepted Jesus Christ into their lives including Tevye Wofford, pictured below.

Thank you to all who continue to support this ministry.
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3 days ago
On Monday, August 18, 2025, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office was proud to witness a remarkable moment inside the jail as 55 inmates were baptized. This event was led by Chaplain Mark Buchanan with the assistance of our dedicated Jail Ministry.

We celebrate this step of faith for all who accepted Jesus Christ into their lives including Tevye Wofford, pictured below.

Thank you to all who continue to support this ministry.

School is back in session! 📚

Friendly reminder: WATCH OUT for school buses.

Statistically, school buses are the safest way to transport children.

Yet increasing injuries and fatalities occur because a driver ignored the stopped school bus and continued to drive.

If you see a school bus loading or unloading, you must stop as well. It is the law.

#BacktoSchool #SchoolBus #PedestrianSafety #OHSOnews #OHSOdrivingtips
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7 days ago

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬

Today, we pause to remember and honor the life of Captain Willy Hargraves, who tragically passed away on August 19th, 2022.

Captain Hargraves served Osage County for 24 years with dedication, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to protecting and serving others. His legacy is one of loyalty to his community, leadership within our office, and compassion for those he encountered both in and out of uniform.

Though he is no longer with us, his impact continues to be felt every day in the lives of those who had the privilege to serve alongside him and in the community he faithfully protected.

We ask that you join us in keeping his family, friends, and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as we honor his memory today.

Rest easy, Captain Hargraves. Your service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

End of Watch: August 19, 2022
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1 week ago
𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬

Today, we pause to remember and honor the life of Captain Willy Hargraves, who tragically passed away on August 19th, 2022.

Captain Hargraves served Osage County for 24 years with dedication, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to protecting and serving others. His legacy is one of loyalty to his community, leadership within our office, and compassion for those he encountered both in and out of uniform.

Though he is no longer with us, his impact continues to be felt every day in the lives of those who had the privilege to serve alongside him and in the community he faithfully protected.

We ask that you join us in keeping his family, friends, and loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as we honor his memory today.

Rest easy, Captain Hargraves. Your service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

End of Watch: August 19, 2022

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying an individual who may have been involved in the theft of an electric bicycle in the area of North Tulsa.

If you recognize this person or have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 918-287-3131.

Your assistance could play a key role in helping us recover the property and hold those responsible accountable.

As always, thank you for supporting your Sheriff’s Office and helping us keep our community safe.
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1 week ago
The Osage County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in identifying an individual who may have been involved in the theft of an electric bicycle in the area of North Tulsa.

If you recognize this person or have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Sheriff’s Office at 918-287-3131.

Your assistance could play a key role in helping us recover the property and hold those responsible accountable.

As always, thank you for supporting your Sheriff’s Office and helping us keep our community safe.Image attachmentImage attachment

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐥!

On August 1, 2025, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office proudly promoted Deputy Dessie Scullawl to the position of Investigator.

Investigator Scullawl began her career with OCSO in 2016 as a Detention Officer in the Jail. She was quickly promoted to Deputy, serving in the Transport Division before moving to Patrol after graduating CLEET in 2018. For the past seven years, she has dedicated herself to protecting and serving Osage County as a Patrol Deputy.

She has previously assisted in sex crimes investigations while maintaining her patrol duties, and in her new role, she will focus primarily on investigating sexual abuse and other sexual-based crimes in our county. To further prepare her for this specialized assignment, she recently attended the Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas, TX—a 40-hour training program focused on strengthening investigative skills in sensitive and complex cases.

Please join us in congratulating Investigator Dessie Scullawl on her promotion and wishing her success in this important role.
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2 weeks ago
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐥!

On August 1, 2025, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office proudly promoted Deputy Dessie Scullawl to the position of Investigator.

Investigator Scullawl began her career with OCSO in 2016 as a Detention Officer in the Jail. She was quickly promoted to Deputy, serving in the Transport Division before moving to Patrol after graduating CLEET in 2018. For the past seven years, she has dedicated herself to protecting and serving Osage County as a Patrol Deputy.

She has previously assisted in sex crimes investigations while maintaining her patrol duties, and in her new role, she will focus primarily on investigating sexual abuse and other sexual-based crimes in our county. To further prepare her for this specialized assignment, she recently attended the Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas, TX—a 40-hour training program focused on strengthening investigative skills in sensitive and complex cases.

Please join us in congratulating Investigator Dessie Scullawl on her promotion and wishing her success in this important role.
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MEET OUR LEADERS


Cpt Terry York
Terry York

Captain of Investigations

Jay Long

Captain of Patrol

Matt Clark

Captain of The Jail