Man Admits To Assault Of Cross-Country Cyclist, Creek County Deputies Say

Wednesday, October 21st 2015, 7:56 pm

By: News On 6

Creek County deputies arrested a man they say admitted to assaulting a cyclist on a cross-country journey. He’s also connected to an assault and battery with a deadly weapon report.

According to a news release, deputies received the assault and battery call near the area of 153rd West Avenue and Ozark Trail just after 8:00 Tuesday evening.

When they arrived, deputies said they spoke with residents of the home and were told Franklin Burton kicked in the door, hit one of the men in the head with a baseball bat and hit one of the women above her eye.

According to the report, when the woman told Burton she was calling the sheriff’s office he left the room and returned with an ax. The woman said she went next door and called the sheriff’s office.

The woman said a neighbor went to the home to stop the fight, but Burton pointed a gun at him. The report says he then left in a black pickup.

Burton was stopped by Bristow police and taken to the Creek County jail where deputies noticed he matched the description of a driver who cyclist Jeffery Tanenhaus said assaulted him earlier.

10/20/2015 Related Story: Cyclist On Cross Country Journey Punched In Face By Sapulpa Driver

Tanenhaus said he had stopped to rest on the side of a road in Sapulpa when the driver of a pickup stopped, yelled at him about his hatred of cyclists, then punched him in the face.

Tanenhaus received several stitches.

Deputies said they showed Tanenhaus a photo lineup where he identified Burton as the person who assaulted him.

Detectives said they spoke with Burton who admitted to assaulting the cyclist.