MVSKOKE RESERVATION – The Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Unarmed Aerial Vehicle Special Operation Squadron (MNUSOS) has been busy keeping the Mvskoke Reservation safe within the past month. The department assisted several local law enforcement agencies in manhunts involving escaped felons and adults reported missing. Their most recent manhunt in Bearden on Dec. 1 helped search for a suspect who had escaped custody from the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s office.
During the Bearden search Okfuskee County Deputies, along with the Muscogee Nation K-9 Unit and Lighthorse Patrol Officers safely apprehended the escaped individual without incident.
On Nov. 25, MNUSOS assisted in searching for Steve Burden, a missing Native American male out of the Weleetka area with physical impairments. Burden was located safely and found alive.
On Nov. 14 MNUSOS and K-9 Units assisted the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office with search efforts in Stidham for an individual with felony warrants. Drones were used for the duration of the search. The wanted individual in that search was apprehended without incident.
On Nov. 8 an adult and a juvenile were reported missing and believed to be swept away in flood waters in Haskell. Drone operators searched the area from the air while Lighthorse Officers searched on foot. The individuals were found the next day deceased.
According to Lighthorse Captain Jere Lee Smith, the department is not the only agency on the reservation to use aerial drones, however MNUSOS is requested for assistance due to their quick response time. The drone equipment was made possible by a $95,000 grant provided by Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX.
According to a public statement released by MNUSOS, the department will always provide a helping hand to neighboring law enforcement agencies in keeping the reservation safe.
“We are committed to working together as agencies to keep our reservation safe for all citizens.” The statement reads. “We will work together to continue to provide exemplary service to all citizens. Our patrol officers, K-9 unit, and drone unit are here to help agencies within the reservation.”
For those that need to report a missing or endangered person, contact MCN Lighthorse Police at 918-732-7800.
