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TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The judge overseeing the manslaughter case of a Tulsa volunteer deputy who fatally shot an unarmed man has recused himself.
The Tulsa World reports (http://bit.ly/1C56TSJ ) that prosecutors requested Judge James Caputo's recusal because he has had "close business and familial ties" with the sheriff's office and some witnesses in the case.
Caputo had been overseeing proceedings against former reserve deputy Robert Bates, who is charged in the April shooting death of Eric Harris.
Caputo granted the prosecutors' motion Friday over the objections from Bates' attorneys and set a review hearing in the case for Nov. 18.
Bates has said he mistook his handgun for a stun gun when he fatally shot Harris during a sting operation.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
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