Catoosa man charged with threatening to drive car into police station

Prosecutors charge a Catoosa man with threatening to drive his car through the front of the police station.

Officers say Mark Depew made the threat because he was mad about something at City Hall.

A Catoosa Police captain says people inside the building were terrified, and they started evacuating the lobby, dispatch area and front offices. He says people were running and hiding.

Surveillance video from the Catoosa Police Department shows Mark Depew pulling up and walking inside. After a brief look around the lobby, he gets back into his car and drives off.

Captain Chet Skimbo says the people working in the front were afraid Depew would make good on this threat.

"Our office personnel have no law enforcement experience, so it scares them to death," he said. "They think that their life is legitimately in danger."

Officers say Depew first showed up at City Hall and wanted to talk to a code enforcement officer. Employees heard Depew make the threat about driving into the police station, so they called the department.

"In this day and age, you can't take risks; we have to treat everything serious until it's not," Skimbo said. "We didn't know who it was, what it was, what they were doing."

Police say Depew sped out of the parking lot and refused to pull over at first but eventually stopped. Officers then took him into custody.

Skimbo says he understands people get frustrated, but there are much better ways to handle it.

"Instead of doing the right thing, going to court and all that, he thinks he can stomp his feet and scream and yell and scare people and he'll get his way and that's just not going to happen," he said.

Skimbo is glad nobody was hurt and says good communication helped officers know what was coming.

Depew is in the Rogers County Jail, being held without bond. His charges include terrorism, assault on a police officer and running from police.

News On 6 called the attorney listed for Mark Depew but have not heard back.

Records show he has previous convictions in Tulsa, Creek, Oklahoma, Okfuskee and Washington counties.