Trespasser Arrested, Vandalism Found at Fort Sill Indian School

Trespassers have been vandalizing Fort Sill Indian School. The most recent case involved someone living in one of the houses that Comanche Nation Police officers arrested on Tuesday, February 4.

Executive Director of the KCA Intertribal Land Use Yolonda Ramos said this isn’t the first case of people trespassing and has had to call Comanche Nation Police several times.

“We were going around doing a check of the buildings, and we came across a makeshift cot, and there was also a package of socks and a duffel bag, and there was evidence that they had started a fire in there,” she said. “And so, we contacted them yesterday [Feb. 3] to come in and just make sure that they made a record of what was going on.”

Ramos said it’s causing issues in keeping up with the buildings.

“We have been dealing with a lot of people coming into these lands,” she said. “We do lock them up every night, but people are still getting into the buildings on the land. They're breaking into the buildings. These are historical buildings, and I'm not sure if they're aware that this is a historical place. We're in the process of trying to restore, to revitalize, and to even renovate and with the people coming in and breaking in these buildings and destroying a lot of things in the buildings, you know, a lot of electrical things, even starting fires in some of the buildings, it is making it hard for us to be able to do anything because these things are so costly for us to fix.”

Ramos said most of the buildings are dangerous to be in.

“Not every single building has been remediated for asbestos. There have been some buildings that have been remediated, but not all of them,” she said. “And so, some of the buildings they do have asbestos in them, but also, in addition, a lot of the buildings are dilapidated. So, they have ceilings that are caving in; they have floors that are caving in, and so if somebody steps in the wrong place, the whole ceiling could fall in and fall in on them.”

The school closed in 1980, and one of the buildings is on the historical register.

Ramos said anyone who wants to help with restoration is welcome to, but they are also welcome to help find a safe place for anyone experiencing homelessness. 

“First of all, if any of the community wants to help, they can make donations to help restore, you know, the gym, for example, but in addition, they can also educate people, educate the homeless on where there might be resources for them to go other than where we're at and making sure to help them out if they know that, you know, someone needs help,” she said. “Everyone has a different situation, and, you know, we shouldn't judge people on their life situation, but we also need to make sure that they're not destroying things that are historical.”

Resources can be found by calling the KCA office and Homeless Alliance.

Comanche Nation Police Deputy Chief Wilson Ware Jr. said Comanche Nation Master Patrol Officer Craig and Officer Wright were conducting a routine check of the property on Tuesday, February 4.

“They entered one of the houses on the Fort Sill Indian School and they came in contact with the suspect that was inside the house,” he said.

The suspect is being charged for trespassing, which holds a prison time of one to three years.

“The Fort Sill Indian School is such a vast area that there's any number of ways that he could have made his way in there,” Ware Jr. said. “He's obviously been there in the past, but there's no telling how he had gotten back there.”

He said there will be an increase in police presence.

“We'll continue with the patrols or make ourselves highly visible,” Ware Jr. said. “We will be more proactive in going through all of these buildings, checking for more trespassers. We will continue to bring these individuals in, and they will be charged with trespassing.”

He said that anyone on the property of Fort Sill Indian School should report anything suspicious.

“To the people in our community, if you see something, report it,” Ware Jr. said. “If you see anybody walk in the property that you believe is suspicious, call and report it to local law enforcement. These individuals are trespassing on historical buildings. They're destroying, they're stealing, they're making the place a dangerous area, and if you see something, report it.”

Comanche Nation Chief of Police John Journeycake said they’d like to keep the historical aspect of the school for the future.