Yale man accused of drunk driving on Highway 18 south of Cushing

   STILLWATER — A 53-year-old Yale man accused of drunk driving a Dodge Ram during an Aug. 19 crash on Highway 18 just south of Cushing has been ordered to appear in court Thursday for arraignment with an attorney on a Payne County felony charge.

   Daniel Keith Miller could be given as much as 10 years in prison if convicted of aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol after a prior felony conviction for embezzlement in Yale. Miller was freed on $7,500 bond the day after his arrest, court records show.

   “Miller stated he was northbound on Highway 18 and went left of center in a double yellow lane line zone, striking another vehicle,” Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Paul Staggs alleged in an affidavit.

   “The vehicle Miller hit left the roadway and turned over onto its driver side. Miller then stated, ‘I f….. up.’ As Miller spoke, I could smell an intoxicating beverage coming from his breath, and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy.

   “I asked Miller how much alcohol he consumed, and he stated he drank approximately eight beers from about 12:30 in the afternoon until about 5 p.m.,” the trooper alleged in his affidavit.

   During a field sobriety test, “Miller stated he knew I was looking for his eyes ‘bouncing,’ and there was no need to do the test because he was drunk…Miller’s blood alcohol was .17,” which is more than twice the level required for a DUI, the affidavit alleged.

   “The driver of the other vehicle was transported to Cushing hospital with minor injury to his finger and trunk internal/external from the seatbelt,” the affidavit said.

   According to Payne County court records, Miller was convicted in 2015 of embezzling from his Yale employer, for which he was placed on five years of probation with an order to pay $12,755.42 in restitution. In his guilty plea, Miller wrote, “Between Dec. 20, 2013, and Feb. 6, 2014, I used a visa card from my employer, Moor Iron & Steel for my use and benefit in Payne County.

   In Pawnee County in 1994, Miller had been charged with second-degree burglary and second-degree arson, for which he was placed on six years of probation under a deferred sentence in 1995, court records show.