Marcus Jack Spradlin
(PCSD file photo)
By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 27-year-old Yale man, who remains jailed on $245,000 total bail after failing to appear in court on a drug trafficking charge, has been scheduled for arraignment today on a new allegation that he used another person’s identity on two occasions to rent a hotel room in Cushing.
In his latest case, Marcus Jack Spradlin could be given a 10-year prison term and $200,000 fine if convicted of using a Washington man’s identity on May 21, and a Texas woman’s identity on May 25 to rent a room at the Executive Inn & Suites in Cushing.
Cushing Police Officer Sara Reynolds alleged in an affidavit that on May 28 she was given a report from the Vancouver Police Department regarding identity theft of a Washington man that took place in Cushing.
“I discovered Marcus Spradlin had collected (the Washington man’s) personal information through his American Airlines account and booked a hotel room at the Executive Inn & Suites for May 21,” the Cushing officer alleged in her affidavit.
The Washington man had received an email at 1:48 am on May 20 to confirm the reservation, the affidavit alleged. “Once he logged into his American Airlines account, he discovered an individual had booked the hotel room using Rocket Travel, which is a partner of American Airlines.
“It is noted that the hotel room was booked using (the Washington man’s) flyer points and was saved under the name of Marcus Spradlin. (The Washington man) contacted the hotel and informed staff of the situation, but they were unable to cancel the room. (The Washington man) told the staff he did not authorize the charge nor was he authorizing anyone to use the room.
“I proceeded to the hotel and spoke with the managers who informed me that Spradlin had attempted to check into the hotel room on May 21. While speaking with the managers, they informed me this was not the only time Spradlin has done this. The managers then provided me with two additional reservations that Spradlin had tried to use to book a room,” the Cushing officer alleged in her affidavit.
In another incident, a Texas woman reported “someone fraudulently used her debit card to reserve a hotel room at the Executive Inn in Cushing. (She) advised me she has never been to Cushing, so when she received an email about a confirmation for May 25-26, she assumed it was spam or a phishing attempt,” Cushing Police Officer Jason Beal alleged in an affidavit.
The Texas woman saw the charge of $112.17 on her account and contacted the Executive Inn in Cushing. “She said she felt it was odd they knew her name when she called, but they identified the person who reserved the room as someone they were familiar with, Marcus Spradlin,” the affidavit alleged.
At the Cushing hotel, the officer alleged in his affidavit “I was advised Marcus Spradlin did reserve a room for May 25-26 through a 3rd party agency called Priceline. When the original order came it, it showed the name (to be the Texas woman’s), but when the confirmation was generated, it showed the name Marcus Spradlin. Executive Inn stated Spradlin did not show up on time, and he was unable to check in.
“Upon my return to the police department, I discovered a number of similar cases of the same nature pending,” as misdemeanor counts, two of which were filed in 2021 and one in 2023, the Cushing officer alleged in his affidavit.
“On May 27, I received another email from (the Texas woman) to advise me another attempt to use her card was declined at Executive Inn in Cushing,” with the confirmation showing the name of Marcus Spradlin, the Cushing officer alleged in his affidavit.
According to court records, a year ago Spradlin’s mobile home in the Quail Crossing RV Park east of Highway 18 on 44th Street was searched on a federal warrant by FBI agents and Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers. Spradlin was subsequently charged with trafficking methamphetamine but freed on $100,000 bail.
Spradlin, who previously lived in Cushing, was arrested at 8:20 am on May 11, 2023, about 40 minutes after his double-wide mobile home was searched on a warrant stemming “from a global dark web investigation by the FBI,” the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in an affidavit.
“Marcus is suspected of using the dark web and a marketplace on the dark web to commit identity theft and bank fraud,” the affidavit alleged.
During the search, FBI agents and the sheriff’s investigator found 20.05 grams of a crystal substance that field-tested as methamphetamine, the affidavit alleged.
The drug was found in a can on the bottom shelf of a coffee table; a bag containing 56 unused small baggies was found in the bottom drawer of a table between two living room recliners, the affidavit alleged. A digital scale was found in the top drawer of an end table next to one of the recliners, the affidavit alleged.
“In the master bathroom at the south end of the residence, we located several dinner plates. One of the plates had a crystal substance on it with an approximate weight of one gram. That plate and another plate each had a dollar bill that was rolled up,” the sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“It is common for drug users to use rolled-up dollar bills to snort drugs,” according to the affidavit.
If convicted of methamphetamine trafficking, Spradlin could be given a 20-year prison term and a $200,000 fine, court records show.
