Caitlin's Law for Oklahoma State
Caitlin's Law This is our daughter Caitlin Elizabeth Wooten. Jerry Don Savage kidnapped and murdered her on September 23, 2005.He then killed himself. Caitlin's mother had previously dated Savage, but had recently broken off the relationship. Two weeks prior to Caitlin's abduction Savage kidnapped Caitlin's mother at gunpoint. During the kidnapping he transported the mother to a second location and threatened to kill her. He was found holding the mother armed with a 9mm gun. Pontotoc County sheriff's SWAT team found in his possession a duffel bag "kidnap kit". The bag contained 9mm ammunition; binoculars, a knife, two pair of white socks, duct tape, packing tape and 3 pair of flex cuffs, presumably one cuff for each child and Caitlin's mother. He was charged with burglary, kidnapping and two felony weapons charges. The next morning Savage was released on $200,000 bond from the Pontotoc County jail. Savage was out on bond when he murdered this innocent child. Caitlin's mother then obtained a protective order against the man on August 30th. Savage was out on bond when he murdered our child. The law protected only Jerry Savage's rights in this tragedy. Change the law You can help us change the law to make it far less likely that tragedies like this ever happen again in Oklahoma. We want to ensure that criminals caught in the act of kidnapping, pointing a weapon and threatening to kill another person would be presumed to be a danger or prove that they can be released to the community or denied bond. State Senator Susan Paddack of Ada says residents want to make sure similar tragedies never happen again. She will need our help to rally lawmakers to our cause. And you can HELP! Contact your Oklahoma State Legislators State Senator Susan Paddack has committed to filing legislation aimed at making a difference. You can help by contacting your legislators and telling them that you support a change and so should they. Please leave your contact information on the How to help page and we will keep you up to date on pending legislation. You can contact your legislators in writing or by telephone. You can contact your Senator or Representative via email. Email addresses, website addresses and individual contact information is available on the Oklahoma Legislature Home Page http://www.spiritofcaitlin.org/caitlinslaw.htm

Caitlin Wooten Act Passes in the House Posted: April 26, 2006 08:38 PM EDT A major bill passed the full house in Oklahoma today, Caitlin's Law changes the bail -bonds laws in the Sooner state. Now, anyone charged with kidnapping will have to prove they are not a public danger before they are allowed to be released. KTEN's Sarah Lindenberg reports. Just to remind our viewers Jerry Savage was in jail for kidnapping. He posted bail. He had a 200,000 dollar bond. He then went out and shot and killed caitlin wooten. So many people were outraged by what happened, Oklahoma lawmakers decided to take action. Senate Bill 1037 denies bail for anyone that would upon release be a danger to the community. The burden of proof is on the defendent. Judge Landrith in Pontotoc County says their system will now have to look into backgrounds, where they are from, their work status, family and other things to determine if bail can be posted. But there are constitutional limits. According to the 8th Amendment excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed. "This statute will have to pass some kind of constitutional test because somebody, somewhere will say this is unconstitutional. The constitution of the United States and Oklahoma really prevents execessive bail," said Judge Landrith Pontotoc County Judge. It also allows for a state wide electronic notification system to notify victims when offenders are released. The bill now moves on to the governor to be signed. http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=4824578&nav=menu410_1

Wooten's Family Reacts to Bill Passage Posted: April 26, 2006 09:00 PM EDT A major bill passed in the full house today that lawmakers say will keep families safer in Oklahoma. The Caitlin Wooten Act won approval by a vote of 98-2. The bill has violent offenders proving they are not a menace to the community before a judge allows them bail. KTEN's Sarah Lindenberg reports. Caitlin Wooten was brutally murdered last August. Her killer was out on a bail set by the court. $200,000 dollars. A bail her family says wasn't high enough. Caitlin's family has rallied together along with oklahoma lawmakers to make a bill designed to keep kidnappers and other violent offenders behind bars. Today...it passed in the full house. A sigh of relief for the family. "It means that maybe some other child or some other person in Oklahoma might not come to the same fate that Caitlin did. Because of this law we might be able to hold someone, who is acutally dangerous. It might save somebody's life," grandfather Andy Hood said. "Caitlin would be thrilled she could never have too much attention just knowing all this has been done for her she would be so excited," grandmother Joann Hood said. The family received a standing ovation today on the floor of the house. They also received a note from representative Wes Hilliard saying ...."This was for Caitlin ...... Thanks for your inspiration." http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=4824655

Senate Sends 'Caitlin's Law' To Governor Henry's Desk Tuesday May 02, 2006 4:53pm Oklahoma City (AP) - The Oklahoma Senate passed legislation today that would tighten state bail requirements on particularly dangerous suspects. The bill is named the Caitlin Wooten Act in honor of a slain 16-year-old cheerleader. The measure was sent to Governor Brad Henry, who is expected to sign it into law. The bill strengthens bail laws by requiring persons charged with kidnapping to prove they are not a public danger before they are allowed to post bail and be released from police custody. http://www2.ktul.com/news/stories/0506/324267.html