Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

A federal jury returned an indictment on an Afton man charged with several counts pertaining to a sexual abuse incident that occurred in Nowata. Kyle Wayne Lawrence was indicted in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma as announced by acting United States Attorney Clinton J. Johnson.

Lawrence allegedly supplied a minor with alcohol until she became unconscious then sexually abused her. The FBI and Nowata Police Department are the investigative agencies. The alleged incident occurred on January 30, 2018.

The case was dismissed in Nowata County District Court on March 30 due lack of tribal jurisdiction. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.