For Immediate
Release: September 27, 2005
Sen. Susan Paddack
Sen. Paddack Calls Ada Murder ‘Chilling’;
Looks at Possible Legislation
State Sen. Susan
Paddack said friends and neighbors in her community of Ada
were devastated by this past weekend’s kidnapping and murder
of teenager Caitlin Elizabeth Wooten. The Ada high school student
was abducted by her mother’s former boyfriend and was later
found dead in an apparent murder/suicide. Now Sen. Paddack is
looking at possible legislation to prevent similar crimes in the
future.
“I was in my home Friday afternoon and actually heard the
Amber Alert go out. It just chilled me to the bone to think that
somebody was missing. I was at the football game that night and
heard how the abduction took place. Then on Saturday morning I
heard the news that they’d found her body. It just made
my heart ache for Caitlin and for her family,” said Paddack,
D-Ada.
According to published reports, less than one month ago, Jerry
Don Savage had been arrested for kidnapping and pointing a gun
at Donna Wooten, Caitlin’s mother. Savage bonded out of
jail the day after his arrest.
“I’ve gotten many emails from friends and neighbors
who are just devastated about this terrible crime. I want to know
if there is something we can do to strengthen existing laws or
if there is some way to require an assessment to prevent dangerous
suspects from getting out of jail so easily.”
Paddack said she had asked Senate staff to begin looking at current
statutes to see how similar situations could be prevented in the
future.
“We have to do something to protect others from this kind
of violence. We should not allow these violent individuals to
be put back on the streets and harm other innocent people in our
community,” Paddack said. “If there is a way we can
do that through legislation, then I will write that bill and carry
it in the 2006 session. We must do everything we can to make our
communities safer.”
