TAHLEQUAH —
The Cherokee County Election Board has seven days to verify signatures on a petition to empanel a grand jury received Wednesday by court officials.
The election board received 124 pages of petitions Thursday morning. The petitions had been returned to Court Clerk Shelly Kissinger’s office late Wednesday afternoon.
Some of the pages contain 20 or more signatures, but several contained 10 or fewer. Between 400 and 500 signatures are required to empanel the grand jury.
Carl Adams, through attorney Mark Collier, initially filed the petition July 1, and District Judge Darrell Shepherd signed an order approving its circulation for signatures.
Adams wants the panel seated to investigate the disappearance or death of his son, Stephen, who was last seen at a Cookson convenience store in December 2004. Tahlequah police, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation have been investigating Adams’ disappearance. If the election board certifies enough valid signatures, Shepherd will have 30 days to issue an order empaneling the grand jury. District Attorney Brian Kuester’s staff will serve as legal adviser for the panel if one is seated.
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