Southwest
Oklahoma judge charged in drive-by shootings faces suspension for alleged corruption, courthouse sex
An Oklahoma judge previously indicted for drive-by shootings in two states faces removal for alleged preferential treatment toward a particular lawyer and sexual misadventures with staff in his courthouse.
Garfield County Associate District Judge Brian Lovell, 58, was indicted in Travis County, Texas, last September for allegedly shooting six parked cars at an intersection outside the locally-famous Austin Tex-Mex restaurant Juan in a Million, the Enid News & Eagle reported.
He allegedly fled the scene and then rammed a woman’s vehicle with his SUV twice, at one point nearly pushing her vehicle into oncoming vehicles, telling responding police that she “cut [him] off” in traffic.
In February 2023, Lovell allegedly fired several rounds into his brother-in-law’s Oklahoma home with the same .40-caliber Glock pistol, according to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
The judge reported his gun stolen two days later but apparently had it in his possession. Bullets at the scene of the Texas shooting matched those found at Lovell’s brother’s home. He was indicted for this incident in May.
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Judge Brian Lovell, 58, is facing a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving for a case in Texas. In Oklahoma, he faces felonies for using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a firearm and discharging a firearm into a dwelling. (Travis County Sheriff’s Office)
Neither of those cases has been resolved. However, to avoid jeopardizing those investigations, a removal petition filed by the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints on June 27 asserts that their intent to temporarily suspend Lovell had nothing to do with these “alleged criminal activities.”
Instead, the petition focuses on the judge’s alleged gross neglect of duty, corruption and misuse of his position.
Lovell allegedly “engage[d] in ex parte communications with attorneys appearing before him.” He spoke with them one-on-one about cases without other involved attorneys present.
The petition also accuses him of “making disparaging remarks about attorneys appearing before him, publicly evidencing a bias from a particular attorney and setting the amount of bond on criminal charges based on bias for the defendant’s attorney or the defendant.”
Lovell, who is married, also had sex with two different bailiffs, according to the petition. He allegedly exchanged “sexually graphic messages and images with court staff inside the courthouse during courthouse hours” and had “sexual intercourse with court staff inside the courthouse during courthouse hours.”
When Lovell was hired in 2011, he did not disclose his pre-existing sexual relationship with a female bailiff. They allegedly continued that relationship, “including liaisons at the Garfield County Courthouse during courthouse hours.”
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A petition to suspend Brian Lovell from the bench asserts that, rather than the criminal charges against him, his conduct in court “undermines public confidence in the judiciary.” (Garfield County Court)
They continued their relationship from February of that year until October, when the bailiff disclosed the relationship to another judge and resigned. In a vote, five district judges decided to keep Lovell on the bench.
Another female bailiff was hired that year, in 2023. Lovell and that bailiff allegedly engaged in sex acts, exchanged explicit texts and took intimate photos for each other in the courthouse multiple times.
Lovell claimed that his relationship with the second bailiff was nothing but “flirtatious texting,” according to the petition, but the bailiff told investigators that the two had been having sex.
The judge also gave preferential treatment to one attorney and his clients, the petition alleges, praising his decisions in court and reaching sweetheart deals in secret text messages.
In one instance, the judge allegedly described the attorney’s decision to not cross-examine a witness as “brilliant.” In another, he allegedly praised the attorney’s cross-examination as “very extensive.” On another occasion, he told the attorney their performance in court was “excellent.” However, no other adjectives were used to compliment other attorneys, according to court minutes reviewed by the body.
At one point, Lovell allegedly disparaged a client but granted him a favorable bond amount, explaining that it was because of who he had chosen to represent him in court.
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Brian Lovell allegedly had sex with two different bailiffs in the Garfield County Courthouse, pictured, during work hours. (Google Maps)
In another instance, Lovell allegedly granted a protective order to a third party business – a funeral home – represented by his favorite attorney without having the authority to do so.
When he became aware that the council was investigating his actions, Lovell allegedly “seal[ed] a court file with no justification” and “attempt[ed] to persuade an attorney to give false testimony to the Council on Judicial Complaints.”
“[Lovell] has demonstrated a lack of respect for the judicial office with which he is entrusted, and an ongoing pattern of misconduct and dishonesty,” the council wrote.
“The conduct further demonstrates [Lovell’s] lack of temperament to serve as a judge, undermining public confidence in the independence, integrity, impartiality and competence of the judiciary,” the petition continued.
Lovell has until July 8 to contest his interim suspension order, and a motions hearing on the removal effort is slated for July 30.
Stephen Jones, an attorney representing Lovell, told the Enid News & Eagle that his client had been “ambushed by the Oklahoma Council on Judicial Complaints.”
“Judge Lovell was never notified of and for which a response from him was never sought, even though he had a lawyer and was prepared to defend against the allegations, which we repeatedly sought notice of what they were, and repeatedly we were denied that notice,” Jones told the outlet.
Fox News Digital was unable to reach Lovell, the bailiffs mentioned in the petition or the attorney he is accused of giving preferential treatment to.
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Long Beach will hold a pride festival this weekend after the one they originally had scheduled was canceled.
Long Beach city officials said the celebration was nixed after the nonprofit that organizes it, Long Beach Pride, failed to submit the required information for an event permit.
It was supposed to start on Friday and last through Sunday.
“Despite continued collaboration and multiple deadline notices, the City did not receive the required documentation needed to complete safety reviews, inspect critical event infrastructure, such as the stage, electrical systems and tent, and emergency exiting plans to ensure compliance with public safety standards,” the city of Long Beach said in a statement. “With event programming scheduled to begin on May 15 at 5 p.m. with Teen Pride and essential information still outstanding, there is no longer sufficient time to safely permit the festival this year.”
Officials noted that they were working to see if a “shortened event” could be held this weekend, and indeed, an agreement was reached to stage a one-day gathering on Sunday.
Billed as “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” and emceed by comedian and drag queen Jewels, it will still bring the city’s LGBTQ community together after Sunday morning’s Long Beach Pride Parade, which was not canceled.
“Long Beach Pride weekend is a culmination of celebrations put on by our community, including our many vibrant restaurants, bars and businesses, and that will never change,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said in a press release issued late Saturday night. “Along with the Pride Parade, we are proud to join the party with this new event that reaffirms what this City has always stood for: that every person belongs here.”
“The festival may have been canceled, but Long Beach drag artists don’t cancel joy,” added Jewels Long Beach.
The one-day “Canceled? Never Heard of Her!” festival will take place at Bixby Park from noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. A free event, it will include music by several performers and a drag show.
More information can be found here.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. Jewish institution among targets of foiled terrorist attack, U.S. officials say
A Jewish institution in Los Angeles was among the locations targeted in a recently foiled terrorism plot, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced this week.
The thwarted terrorist attacks were the result of the recent arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national and senior member of Kata’ib Hizballah, U.S. officials said.
“Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, a commander for the terrorist organization, Kata’ib Hizballah, faces serious charges for his role in numerous attacks against U.S. interests across the globe, including his efforts to kill on U.S. soil,” Clayton said. “As alleged, for years, Al-Saadi committed himself to furthering the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the IRGC, two terrorist organizations dedicated to harming the United States and its allies.”
Al-Saadi recently attempted to carry out attacks in the U.S., officials said, including attacks at Jewish cultural places of interest in New York, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Al-Saadi attempted to disrupt American society through intimidation and violence,” a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office reads. “… Those who engage in or support terrorism against Americans and on U.S. soil should take note: the whole of the federal government is committed to dismantling terrorist organizations and bringing their members to justice.”
In a three-month period, Al-Saadi allegedly directed 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe, including bombings, arson, and assaults targeting American citizens and points of interest. Prior to his arrest, national security officials say he was planning similar attacks on U.S. soil. Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that Al-Saadi “presented a serious threat to our national security.”
The European attacks included the bombing of the Bank of New York Mellon, an American bank, in Amsterdam on March 15. On April 29, two Jewish men, one of whom was a dual U.S.-British citizen, were stabbed and seriously injured in London.
In 2020, Al-Saadi took to social media, calling for others to attack and kill Americans in retribution for the deaths of Iranian military officer Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi military commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, U.S. officials said. In more recent months, Al-Saadi allegedly used social media to encourage the killing of Americans and Jews to further the terrorist goals of Kata’ib Hizballah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“In or about February 2026, for example, AL-SAADI posted on one of his social media accounts a message in Arabic, which read in part, ‘Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel. Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.’” U.S. officials said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch confirmed that one of the U.S. targets was a Manhattan synagogue. On April 3, Al-Saadi allegedly spoke to an undercover law enforcement officer whom Al-Saadi believed could carry out attacks in the U.S. That same day, Al-Saadi allegedly texted the undercover officers photographs and maps showing the exact location of a prominent Jewish synagogue in New York City.
Officials have not said what specific locations in L.A. and Arizona were targeted by the terrorist group.
Al-Saadi now faces numerous charges for these crimes in U.S. court. If convicted, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
The case is under investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which is comprised of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, the FBI Washington Field Office, Counterterrorism Division, and more than 50 other federal, state, and local agencies. Investigators also received help from the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section, the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
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