Boyfriend Arrested After Woman Falls From Bridge

Monday, March 26th 2007, 6:16 am

By: News On 6

A woman is alive and well after she went over a concrete barrier on the state Highway 97 bridge in Sand Springs and fell into the Arkansas River. The incident happened just after midnight early Monday morning. The man she had reportedly been dating is now in custody.

Sand Springs Police say the man and woman have told officers two different versions of about what exactly happened on the bridge. The woman, 49-year-old Debra Stapelton, told officers her boyfriend pushed her off. 38-year-old David Horn denies that happened, but after talking with police he was arrested on a complaint of assault and battery with intent to kill.

Sand Springs police and fire crews rescued Stapelton using a rescue boat after she fell into the water. Police officers say Stapelton's lucky that she wasn't seriously hurt. They say the water level was just high enough that it helped cushion Stapelton's fall, but low enough that she was found on a sandbar, only waist-deep in water.

Sand Springs Police say it is about a 30-foot drop from the bridge deck to the Arkansas River below.

Fire crews treated Stapelton at the scene for hypothermia. She was also taken to a Tulsa hospital and later released.

Horn was booked into Tulsa County jail.