Former Stilwell Elementary teacher accused of sexually abusing six students

Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoman
Updated ·2 min read
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Like other tribal members accused of crimes on reservation land, Lawrence Fourkiller's case will proceed in federal court, as required under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.
Like other tribal members accused of crimes on reservation land, Lawrence Fourkiller's case will proceed in federal court, as required under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

A former Stilwell Elementary teacher has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing six students.

Lawrence Fourkiller, 47, was arrested at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on June 28. The FBI’s Oklahoma City field office announced the arrest on Thursday.

A federal grand jury indicted Fourkiller on June 14 in Muskogee federal court on one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child in Indian Country and five counts of abusive sexual contact in Indian Country. The indictment remained under seal until after Fourkiller’s arrest.

Fourkiller, of Stilwell, is a Cherokee Nation citizen, according to the tribe’s voter registration database.

Like other tribal members accused of crimes on reservation land, his case will proceed in federal court, as required under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

McGirt v. Oklahoma, 3 years later: How police work on the Muscogee Nation reservation

Investigators reported Fourkiller engaged in oral sex with a girl under the age of 12 sometime between August 2020 and May 2021. He inappropriately touched five other girls younger than 12 over the past school year, court records allege.

He could face a sentence of life in prison if convicted.

The FBI reported Fourkiller is no longer teaching at Stilwell.

Stilwell schools immediately placed Fourkiller on administrative leave and reported him to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services after the school district received a "serious allegation" this spring, Superintendent Matthew Brunk said in a statement.

"Student safety is the greatest priority of Stilwell Public Schools," Brunk said. "The district has fully cooperated with — and will continue to cooperate with — all related investigations. Because this is a personnel matter, I am unable to share additional information at this time."

The Oklahoma State Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment on whether it will attempt to suspend or revoke Fourkiller’s teaching certification.

Contributing: Indigenous affairs reporter Molly Young

Editor's note: This story has been updated to add a statement from Stilwell Superintendent Matthew Brunk.

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nuria’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Stilwell Oklahoma teacher accused of abusing six children