TULSA – Two Muskogee County men accused of holding a woman hostage in her room at Americas Best Value Inn and stealing her personal belongings will be in Tulsa County District Court this month for a preliminary hearing.
According to online court records, Steven Dillard, 61, of Muskogee and Francis M. Zupo, 50, of Haskell are charged in Tulsa County District Court with robbery with a firearm. Their preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 21, records show.
The duo are accused of forcing their way into a motel room at Americas Best Value Inn on Aug. 15 and holding a woman at gunpoint while allegedly take multiple personal possessions.
The victim told police the men waved a gun around and pointed it at her while loading up her items and taking them, according to a Tulsa Police Department press release.
The men were taken into custody during a traffic stop, where officers recovered the stolen items and the gun used in the robbery, the release states.
Zupo remains jailed on $100,000 bail and set to go to trial in November in Muskogee County District Court on attempted petit larceny and second-degree burglary. He pleaded guilty in 2018 in Tulsa County District Court to drug violations and received a suspended 9-month sentence and driving under the influence in Wagoner County in 2020 and received a year suspended sentence.
Dillard is free on a reduced bail of $50,000, court records show. He has a history of petit larceny, theft, alcohol and drug-related offenses, assault and battery convictions. (Tulsa Police Department)
