Arrest warrant issued for Owens for eluding deputy

A Muldrow man is charged with a felony count of endangering others while eluding/attempting to elude police officer after he reportedly tried to elude a Sheriff‚s deputy and ran another driver off the road.

Austin Owens, 25, was charged Aug. 19 in Sequoyah County District Court and an arrest warrant was issued for him the same day, according to court records. He is facing an additional criminal misdemeanor charge of driving with license cancelled/suspended/revoked.

Sequoyah County Sheriff‚s deputy Cody Parkerson reported on July 15 around 4:30 p.m. that he was traveling west on Hwy. 64 in Muldrow when he saw two pickup trucks traveling west at a high rate of speed. He estimated the trucks were traveling at around 90 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The deputy activated his emergency lights and attempted to stop one of the trucks, a blue Chevrolet pickup. The driver reportedly accelerated his speed and to 95 mph and Parkerson notified dispatch he would be in pursuit of the vehicle.

As he continued behind the truck, the driver passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed, running a driver off the roadway onto the shoulder. As the vehicle approached Bawcom Road, the driver slowed to about 45 mph before turning north, lost control, and then ran off the west side of Bawcom Road, running through a fence and hitting a tree.

The deputy exited his unit and ordered the driver out of the truck and he complied, going through the fence and then getting on the ground. The driver was taken into custody and identified as Owens, and dispatch confirmed his driver‚s license was suspended.

When asked why he ran from the deputy, Owens said he was scared to go to jail and that he was sorry, according to the probable cause affidavit. The driver of the vehicle Owens had ran off the road arrived at the scene and completed a witness statement against Owens.

Owens reportedly declined medical treatment and did not have any physical injuries, according to the affidavit. Oklahoma Highway Patrol came to complete an accident report due to the fence damage and a wrecker was called to take possession of Owens‚ vehicle. Owens was then transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center.

If found guilty of endangering others while eluding/ attempting to elude police officer, District Attorney Jack Thorp said the crime is punishable by a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 and/or imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than five years.