Okla. man sentenced for burglarizing OU coach’s home

Published 12:51 pm Tuesday, December 16, 2014

“Our lives changed forever after waking up to what was supposed to be like any other day.”

“We first noticed noticed that the back door was ajar, then quickly saw that the bolts had been taken out of our gate, allowing it to manually swing open. We were asleep downstairs while our three children slept upstairs while the two men went through our house.”

The preceding words were part of a victim’s impact statement submitted by Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops and his wife Carol. They had theirĀ  northwest Norman (Ok.) home burglarized and a vehicle stolen in June 2013. The couple and their three children had only recently moved into the home.

Two men were charged with burglary at the Sooner football coach’s home. One of them was sentenced Monday in Cleveland County District Court.

The Stoops family did not appear in court but submitted the victim’s impact statement through the district attorney’s office.

Corey McCarty, 22, received a 10-year suspended sentence with nine months to serve in the county jail. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman made the ruling after McCarty entered into a guilty plea in September.

McCarty was convicted of four charges in concert with a juvenile male, including first-degree burglary, larceny of an automobile and two counts of unauthorized use of a credit card.

The two stole cash, a phone, credit cards, keys and a vehicle from the Stoops family. Video surveillance for area businesses showed the two attempting to use the stolen credit cards. The vehicle was later located with the stolen keys, according to the affidavit filed with charges.

While dispersing a party in Oklahoma City several days after the incident, police were told that McCarty and his friend discussed the incident at the party. McCarty was detained by Oklahoma City police and later transported to the Norman Police Department, where he was interviewed, the affidavit said.

McCarty confessed to the burglary, theft and unauthorized use of credit cards, the document states. Records show that he has no prior criminal history.

“McCarty was apologetic, stating he meant no harm to the victims’ family and that this incident was not his idea,” the affidavit said.

Aside from what was physically taken, the Stoops family also had to deal with the emotional toll the incident took on them.

“It is a crime to no longer feel safe in your own home as they stole our sense of security, peace and happiness in our home,” the statement reads.

A big struggle was thinking about what could have happened if someone had woken up and confronted the two, the document states.

“Our lives would have been changed forever. We do not know if they had weapons, but for two people so bold to enter a home where they knew people were sleeping, it is a strong possibility,” the document states.

The juvenile involved, incarcerated at the Alan J. Couch Center after the incident, later called his girlfriend at the time to break him out. Paige Nicole Maurey, 21, and four juveniles attempted to help him escape.

Maurey was charged with assisting a prisoner to escape in July 2013, just two weeks after the burglary incident.

The woman had dropped off three of the juveniles, one of whom was seen by a detention center employee, so the three ran off, an affidavit filed with the charge shows. The employee later found a hedge trimmer near where she saw one of the juveniles.

When Maurey returned to pick the juvenile males up, she was arrested along with three other juveniles. A fourth juvenile who had ran off escaped but was later arrested in Moore.

Maurey entered a guilty plea and was sentenced in September 2013. She received a five-year deferred sentence, two years of probation and was required to serve 10 weekends in jail.