I-40 pursuit ends in drug trafficking charges

Two people are facing drug trafficking and other charges after they tried to elude authorities on Interstate 40 with nearly 40 pounds of marijuana inside their vehicle.

Ulises Cervantes, 30, of Sacramento, Calif., has been charged with trafficking in illegal drugs-marijuana, endangering others while eluding/attempting to elude police officers and running a roadblock.

His passenger, Cierra V. Stepney, 22, of Columbus, Ga. is also facing a felony charge of trafficking in illegal drugs-marijuana, along with a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer. She received a $26,000 bond and is set for a May 17 arraignment before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Deputy Herb Hutchinson reported on the morning of April 22 he was traveling eastbound on I-40 near the 309 mile marker when he noticed a silver Toyota 4-runner speeding. The deputy reported the driver, Cervantes, was continuing to drive on the fog line and then passed a semi on the right side.

Hutchinson activated his emergency lights to stop the driver and he continued a short distance before pulling over to the side of the road. The deputy noted that Cervantes did not put the vehicle in park and he and his female passenger, Stepney, were both looking at the deputy over their shoulders and through their mirrors.

When the deputy got out of his patrol unit, Cervantes reportedly accelerated the vehicle and took off, reaching speeds of 115 mph, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case. The deputy continued to pursue Cervantes as he slammed on the brakes, turned around and began traveling in the opposite direction. The deputy ended the pursuit for safety reasons when Cervantes entered a construction zone on I-40, and because Oklahoma Highway Patrol had set up stop sticks at the 313 mile marker.

As Hutchinson approached the mile marker, he noticed a trooper parked on the side of the roadway and two deputies following the fleeing vehicle. OHP Trooper Sheldon Dobbs then began traveling parallel to Cervantes, causing him to turn around and began traveling eastbound.

Cervantes reportedly saw Muldrow Police officer Jerry Brooks place stop sticks out and took the next exit. He then tried to drive through a fence when the vehicle high-centered on a hill. Cervantes and Stepney exited the vehicle and took off on foot, according to the affidavit. Stepney was later found by Brooks in the area of Pond Street in Muldrow, where they had reportedly left the vehicle.

Before the vehicle was impounded, a search was conducted. Authorities reported finding two plastic trash bags containing 38 bundles of a green leafy substance that tested positive for marijuana. Another bundle of marijuana was located in the front passenger floorboard. All the bundles weighed a total of around 39 pounds at the Sheriff’s Office.

Police also received information Cervantes went into the Dollar General store where he got a T-shirt and then got into a taxi and left. The Arkansas taxi driver told police Cervantes took off running around the Dyer/Mulberry area.

Mulberry Police officer Thell Riddle said Cervantes also ran from him but he was able to take him into custody on fleeing charges and a felony warrant he had out of California. Riddle sent photos of Cervantes to Hutchinson, who was able to identify him as the driver of the fleeing vehicle.

Stepney was transported to the Sequoyah County Detention Center and a felony arrest warrant was issued for Cervantes with no bond. Court records show Cervantes was arrested on May 1 and is scheduled to appear for a May 17 arraignment before Judge Waters.

District Attorney Jack Thorp said trafficking in illegal drugs-marijuana is punishable by imprisonment for up to 20 years and a fine.