By Patti Weaver
STILLWATER — A teenager has been accused of drunk driving left of center toward an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper’s patrol car at Country Club Road and Airport Road in Stillwater at about 8:15 pm on May 2 while having an open bottle of liquor in his vehicle.
Trent Daniel Culver, 19, of Tomball, Texas, was arrested about 20 minutes later, according to an affidavit filed with a three-count charge, court records show.
Culver was released from the Payne County Jail the following day on a personal recognizance bond. with an order to appear in court on July 6.
OHP Trooper Ryan Long alleged in an affidavit that he was patrolling in a marked Durango westbound on Airport Road from Country Club Road when “As I approached the crest of a hill, I observed a set of headlights directly in the middle of the roadway, partially in my lane of travel.
“Both I and the oncoming vehicle were forced to swerve to avoid a collision. I turned around and began to catch up to the vehicle.
“I again observed the vehicle travel left of center on the gravel roadway at the crest of another hill, nearly striking another vehicle. The oncoming vehicle had to swerve to the right to avoid a collision. During this maneuver, the suspect vehicle also swerved to the right and departed the roadway.
“As we neared the intersection of Country Club Road and Airport Road, I initiated a traffic stop,” on a Ford Ranger with a Texas license plate, which did not immediately yield and instead turned southbound onto Country Club Road.
“I explained to Culver the reason for the stop…I detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle. I also observed that Culver’s eyes were watery and bloodshot, and his speech was slurred.
“I directed Culver to exit the vehicle and have a seat in my patrol vehicle. Culver initially refused to exit the vehicle, and I had to give the command again before he complied. I asked Culver how much alcohol he had consumed, and he initially stated that he had not consumed any alcohol. When asked again, Culver stated that he had taken one shot prior to driving.”
After giving Culver field sobriety tests, “I then utilized a portable breath test device issued to me by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Culver provided a breath sample, and the device displayed a result consistent with my observations of impairment,” the trooper alleged in his affidavit.
Following Culver’s arrest, “I conducted an inventory search of the vehicle and located several cans of strawberry margarita mixed drinks and an open bottle of Crown Royal Apple,” the trooper alleged in his affidavit.
At the Payne County Jail, Culver was given two breath tests using the Intoxilyzer 8000 with a result of .15 blood alcohol, the affidavit alleged.
If convicted of the three-count charge, Culver could be incarcerated for 30 months and fined $1,500, court records show.
