A former state highway patrol trooper has been sentenced following his conviction of two felony counts involving sex crimes against a minor. �Ronald Arganbright, who was fired after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigation in 2011, was convicted in April of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16 and using an electronic device to facilitate sexual conduct with a minor. �Yesterday, he was sentenced to three years in prison, of which eighty-five percent must be served. �His Oklahoma sex crime attorney�said Arganbright plans to appeal.Ronald "Ronnie" Arganbright, 44, of Sayre was initially place on administrative leave with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol in November 2010, after allegations arose that he was involved in a sexual relationship with a teenage girl. �He was fired in February 2011 as a result of the OHP investigation. �Though the girl was 16 at the time of the investigation, and therefore had reached the legal age of consent in Oklahoma, Arganbright was accused of initiating the relationship when the girl was only 15.Initially, prosecutors charged Arganbright with a slew of offenses including:
- Lewd acts with a child under 16
- Use of an electronic device to facilitate sexual conduct with a minor
- Embezzlement by appropriation
- Seduction of an unmarried woman
The embezzlement charge came as a result of accusations that Arganbright used a patrol car to meet with the girl and engage in sexual activity while on duty. �The seduction charge is an "outdated morals charge," according to Arganbright's Oklahoma sex crime lawyer, and was only charged, he says, because prosecutors were "gunning for" his client. �Arganbright was not convicted of either the embezzlement charge or the morals charge.
According to his attorneys, Arganbright should not have been convicted of the sex offense against a minor charges, either. �Arganbright admitted to sex with the 16 year old girl--who would have been able to legally consent at 16. �His lawyer says that though his client made some "poor decisions," he did nothing criminal.Being accused of sex with a minor under 16 can lead to the destruction of one's family, the loss of one's job, incarceration, and registration as a sex offender. �Allegations of sex crimes have a profound impact on the lives of the accused. �Oklahoma sex crime defense lawyers work carefully to protect the rights of the accused in criminal cases. �Our experienced defense attorneys have a proven record of success in representing defendants in sex crime cases. �For more information call (405) 418-8888 or visit online at oklahoma-criminal-defense.
