Altercation between OHP and Kemp Results in Charges

Image
  • Kemp
    Kemp
Body

 The Logan County District Attorney’s Office charged Nancy Elizabeth Kemp, 68, with four misdemeanors on Monday following an altercation that took place between Kemp and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Preston Cox.

Kemp’s counts are as follows;

  • Improper use of multiple beam rod lighting equipment
  • Operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol

Or in the alternative;

  • Operating a vehicle while under the influence of a combination of alcohol and an intoxicating substance
  • Obstructing a police officer
  • Resisting arrest

According to the Probable Cause Affidavit, on May 11 around 12:30 a.m, Kemp was driving a black 2008 Chrysler Sebring northbound on I-35 near Seward Road. Kemp’s high beam headlights were on and she was within one car length of another motorist, so Cox conducted a traffic stop.

Cox then asked Kemp to sit with him in the patrol car to continue speaking and she agreed.

While speaking with Kemp, Cox stated he “smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her person” and so questioned her about her whereabouts earlier in the evening.

As claimed by the Affidavit, Kemp was on her way from the Speakeasy Bar in Oklahoma City, where she had one mixed drink, identified as tequila, and that she had drank “a lot” of water before she left.

Cox said that he “noticed her to have red, watery, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech” and backed his patrol car away from Kemp’s Sebring in order to conduct a standardized field sobriety test.

“Kemp aggressively opened my door and slammed her left hand on my computer in an attempt to take her license before fleeing from my patrol unit,” said Cox in the affidavit synopsis.

Brute force was used by Cox on Kemp “in order to gain compliance.”

In accordance with the report, Trooper Cox rolled Kemp out of the patrol car in order to place her in a back mount. He also struck Kemp in the face two times with his right knee, struck Kemp in the face with his elbow one time, placed her into a back mount for a second time and struck her an additional two times with his right knee.

Once handcuffs were secured on Kemp, she was placed in the back of a Logan County Deputy patrol car, when he arrived on the scene as backup, to await the ambulance. After Guthrie EMS conducted a check of Kemp at the scene, she was transported to Mercy – Logan County Hospital to assess her injuries. She was also given a state blood test, which was sent to OSBI – Edmond for further analysis. Her test results came back with a blood alcohol concentration of .093, which is above the legal limit.

In the release provided by District Attorney Laura Austin Thomas, she stated that “a non-emotional, legal analysis was undertaken of the evidence surrounding these charges. This consideration resulted in a determination that the actions on the part of the arresting officer were a reasonable exercise of his duty to bring into compliance and control a drunk driver who was putting the general public, herself and the officer at risk of harm. I support appropriate law enforcement actions taken on a daily basis to protect our community.”

Conversely, Kemp’s granddaughter Kylar Kekutia relayed in a statement that “ultimately, he (the trooper) got angry with her for texting (she was alone, scared, and texting her daughter) and ended up breaking ribs 2-8 on her left side, breaking her nose, and bruising her all over her body.”

If she is found guilty, Kemp can face up to a year in jail and a fine up to $500.

A Logan County judge exonerated Kemp’s $5,000 bond, which was posted on May 12, and gave her a personal recognizance (PR) bond.

She’s expected back in court on Sept. 8 at 9 a.m.

 

Subscribe to the online newsletter:

* indicates required