Police Reports 1-5-24: locals nabbed for suspicion of drunken driving

A local woman was arrested after officers were notified of a possible intoxicated driver.

On Dec. 18, Tahlequah Police Officer Jess McClure was patrolling the area of the Bertha Parker Bypass and Fox Street, trying to locate a possible intoxicated driver. Officers were advised that the driver, Tina Tracey, was headed toward a local eatery or the Tahlequah City Cemetery in a Chevrolet Traverse. McClure spotted the suspected vehicle and the driver making an improper stop on Fox Street. The officer conducted a traffic stop and met with Tracey. The woman said she consumed one beer and that she was currently prescribed medication for pain management. She was asked to exit the vehicle and when doing so, McClure could see an unopened beer bottle on the floorboard. Tracey said there was an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, but she was in the process of pouring it out. The officer located a pill bottle with no prescription label that contained a morphine sulfate pill. Tracey, a tribal member, was arrested and booked for driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and transporting an open container.

On Dec. 8, Officer Bruce Gower responded to Park Avenue due to reports of a suspicious vehicle. The caller advised that a vehicle had been parked in front of her residence with its light on for a significant amount of time. Gower arrived to find the vehicle and believed the driver ran off the road. The officer noted that the vehicle appeared to have caused damage to a wall/barrier. The driver, Jeannette Whitmire, said she was pulling out of the parking lot of Dewain’s Place when she misjudged the distance of her turn and ran off the road. Gower said Whitmire appeared intoxicated and the woman said she consumed a couple of drinks while at the bar. Whitmire was arrested after a field sobriety test and booked on tribal charges of aggravated driving under the influence.

Officer Ohavyah Soto was called to a vehicle crash Dec. 11 in the parking lot of the Super Spray car wash. Cherokee Nation Marshal Bronson McNeil witnessed the crash and said Anonda James struck another vehicle that was pulling into the parking lot. James was arrested and booked for driving under suspension and no insurance.

On Dec. 12, Officer Soto was dispatched to McSpadden Court due to reports of a disturbance wherein the suspects left on foot. Delana Clayton and James Drywater were located near Armstrong Bank. The pair admitted to consuming alcohol and Drywater had a bag containing marijuana and a glass pipe in his possession. Clayton was booked for public intoxication while Drywater was booked for public intoxication, possession of marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia.