SANDSPRINGS—Themanchargedinconnection with the Aug. 27 Sand Springs explosion that killed two people remains in custody without bond as separate murder and Creek County criminal cases move forward.
Ryan Bassham, 35, of Tulsa, faces two counts of first-degree murder in the commission of a crime in connection with the deaths of two people following the explosion at a business at 411 South Lincoln Avenue in Sand Springs. The charges were filed after Bassham turned himself in to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 30, according to reports.
Bassham initially posted a $1 million bond on Sept. 1 on one of the murder counts, however, his bond was later revoked.
Oklahoma State Court Network records show Bassham appeared by Microsoft Teams from the Creek County Jail for the Sept. 3 hearing. The court sustained the state’s motion over the defense’s objection and ordered Bassham held without bond. He was also arraigned at that time and entered a plea of not guilty through the court. The court’s written findings noted that Bassham presented “a flight risk and/or imminent safety risk” at the time.
The state had alleged that after posting bond, Bassham was arrested on new felony offenses in Creek County and had traveled to Indiana and New Mexico and arranged for a flight to New York, although he did not board the flight. The state also alleged that Bassham had taken actions to destroy evidence related to the Sand Springs case.
Bassham’s defense later filed motions seeking reconsideration of the bond revocation. A Sept. 10 court entry states that the court declined to hear the defense’s motion while Bassham remained in custody under Creek County jurisdiction stating the matter could be reconsidered once he was in the custody of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
A subsequent defense motion filed on Sept. 24 requested reconsideration of that decision and a meaningful bond hearing. In a Sept. 25 order, the court maintained that Bassham was not entitled to another bond hearing in Tulsa County until he is in the custody of the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office following his initial bond posting “he committed and was arrested for multiple new felony offenses in Creek County.”
Bassham is now also facing a separate felony case in Creek County with charges listed as aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance orpossessionofmaterialwithintenttomanufacture, aggravated trafficking of 1,000 pounds or more of marijuana, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
The Creek County case was filed on Sept. 11. Bassham remains in custody without bond in that case. He was arraigned in Creek County on Sept. 15 and pleaded not guilty. A conference in the case is currently scheduled for Oct. 28 at 9:30 a.m. in Sapulpa as of Oct. 5. Court records also show that a motion requesting discovery was filed on Sept. 23.
The Tulsa County murder case is scheduled for a status of mental examination report and Creek County custody hearing on Nov. 3 at 9 a.m.
The original explosion investigation remains separate from the court proceedings. At the time of the Sept. 3 report, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Public Information Officer Hunter McKee said investigators had not determined the cause of the explosion and cautioned that Bassham’s arrest did not mean the investigation was complete.
Bassham is presumed innocent of the charges unless proven guilty in court.