A woman who was on trial for alleged sex crimes against a child has entered a blind plea and now awaits sentencing.
Four felony charges originally were filed in Lincoln County District Court April 4, 2022 against Angela Renee Gordon, 42, and five felony counts were filed the same day against John Joshua Bonner, 46.
In early September they were bound over to stand trial.
On the second day of her jury trial, Gordon announced she wished to enter a blind plea. District Judge Traci Soderstrom advised Gordon of her rights and that the charges are 85 percent crimes, which means she must serve at least 85 percent of any sentences.
Court records show that Gordon was standing trial on two counts of lewd acts to a child under 12 and one for enabling child abuse.
The judge found that Gordon fully understood the nature and purposes of the proceeding and fully competent to enter a plea. Gordon entered blind pleas of guilty, the pleas were received by Judge Soderstrom and she found Gordon guilty as charged.
Judge Soderstrom ordered a pre-sentence investigation and scheduled sentencing for 9:30 a.m. on April 11 this year.
Court records show that the pre-sentence investigation is due by April 4.
During their arraignments on Sep. 20, 2022, Gordon, of Claremore and Bonner, of Chandler, then District Judge Cindy Ashwood scheduled their jury trials for 9 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2023.
Judge Ashwood also set their cause for the felony disposition docket at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2023.
Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Thompson and Lori McConnell handled Gordon’s case for the state and Gordon was represented by Patrick Thompson.
During the disposition docket before Judge Soderstrom, Bonner failed to appear and Judge Soderstrom issued a $150,000 bench warrant for his arrest and she ordered a bond forfeiture.
The records also showed Bonner is still to stand trial on four counts of lewd acts to a child under 12.
First Assistant DA Adam Kallsnick said, “the co-defendant in the case, Bonner, fled to Florida where he was arrested and we are waiting to get him back for trial.”
Due to courthouse closure, Judge Soderstrom has continued his case to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 21.
Gordon was originally charged with sexual abuse of a child under 12, lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, performing a lewd act in the presence of a minor and enabling child sexual abuse.
The information states the crimes occurred between Jan. 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2015.
Bonner was originally charged with first degree rape with a victim under 14 years old, rape by instrumentation, sexual abuse of a child under 12, lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 and performing a lewd act in the presence of a minor.
The information in Bonner’s charges accuse him of committing the crimes during the same time as Gordon’s charges. It also states Bonner was 39 at the time those crimes were committed.
The crimes that Gordon and Bonner face allegedly occurred in a house in Chandler in Lincoln County, the information states. The victim of the alleged criminal offenses was 8 at the time, according to the information.
In an affidavit filed by Chandler Police Officer James Wells, he states he was contacted on March 9, 2021 by Suni Cauthern, a client case manager with the West Texas Children’s Advocacy Center. Cauthern conducted a forensic interview with the victim, Wells was informed.
The victim reportedly disclosed the times she and her younger sister were sexually assaulted by Bonner and Gordon.
According to the affidavit, on Aug. 9, 2021 Wells spoke to Rhonda Wood with DHS who told him she had contacted Gordon and she was going to meet Gordon that day at her residence in Claremore. Wells stated Wood, he and two deputies met with Gordon at her residence.
Wood reportedly conducted her business with Gordon. Gordon advised that she and Bonner had been split up since approximately 2015.
Gordon acknowledged to Wells that she had sex with Bonner on the couch with the victim sitting next to them.
According to the affidavit, on Sep. 1, 2021, Gordon came to the Chandler Police Department for a polygraph test to be administered by an OSBI agent. The agent and Gordon went into the interview room to begin the polygraph process.
A while later, the affidavit states, the agent came out of the room and advised Wells he wasn’t going to administer the polygraph test to Gordon but that she acknowledged things during their conversation that Gordon would inform Wells about.