OHP: New Year's Celebration Lands Some Oklahoma Drivers Behind Bars

Several people are behind bars this New Year for drinking and driving thanks to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol's stepped up holiday enforcement. The first arrest was at midnight on Interstate 44 when a van pulled up behind a trooper going 100 miles per hour.

"Came up behind the trooper, trooper went to pull up and get out of his way, had to leave the roadway to keep from being hit by him," said Trooper Sue Farley.

The trooper chased the van until it finally pulled over near 50th and Rockford. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

12/27/2012 Related Story: OHP, Tulsa Police, ABLE To Crack Down On DUI Offenders

About 30 minutes later, a driver lost control near the 3800 block of West 71st Street in Creek County and crashed. Troopers said the driver was on his way home, became confused, and ended up going the wrong way.

He lost control of his car and crashed through the brick entryway.

His legs were pinned underneath the steering wheel and investigators say alcohol and prescription medications may be to blame.

OHP said the man's driver's license expired in 1989, and this marks the eighth time he's been arrested for drinking and driving.

Those two arrests weren't all for the state troopers.

Just before 2 a.m., a trooper tried to pull over a car on Memorial and it sped off. OHP was able to corner the driver at the QuikTrip near Easton and Sheridan. He was taken to jail for suspicion of DUI. 

Just before 4 a.m., troopers saw a car going the wrong way on Highway 169 near 11th street. They pulled over and arrested the driver for DUI.

Then a few minutes later, a trooper was nearly hit by a woman driving on I-44 and Yale. They pulled her over and she was also arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

"[The] subject actually almost struck the wall and almost struck another trooper's unit, and I was able to get her stopped and she's being arrested on suspicion of DUI," said Trooper Whit Cochran.

Fifteen state troopers were assigned to the OHP's "special emphasis" enforcement on the holiday, according to Lieutenant George Brown of the Oklahoma State Highway Patrol.

It resulted in:

• Speeding citations - 48
• Driving under suspension citations - 14
• Traffic offense warnings - 139
• Arrests for DUI - 9
• Arrests for drug offenses - 4

All of this was between 7 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 3 a.m. on New Year's Day.