An Atoka woman was arrested for driving under the influence late Wednesday night after a traffic stop on East Highway 3. According to a report by Deputy Austin Davis of the Atoka County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred at approximately 11:00 PM.
Deputy Davis stated he observed a westbound Ram pickup truck failing to maintain its lane and having a defective headlight. After turning around and following the vehicle, the deputy reported seeing it cross the center line again, prompting a traffic stop.
Upon approaching the driver, identified as Tilena Long, Deputy Davis learned that she had been fishing with her 2.5-year-old son and was driving back to their campsite. During their conversation, the deputy noted that Long had red, bloodshot, and glassy eyes, along with slurred speech. He also detected a strong odor of alcohol emanating from the vehicle.
Long reportedly admitted to consuming beers while fishing and also stated that she had smoked marijuana. Deputy Davis asked Long to exit the vehicle to perform field sobriety tests, and she complied.
During field sobriety tests, Deputy Davis reported observing several signs of impairment in Long, including a lack of smooth eye movement and involuntary eye jerking. She also reportedly struggled with balance and coordination during the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand tests.
Based on these observations and the results of the field sobriety tests, Deputy Davis arrested Long for driving under the influence. She was informed of the state's implied consent law and agreed to a blood test, which was administered at the Atoka Medical Center ER. The blood samples were collected and processed according to standard procedure and will be sent to the OSBI lab for further analysis.
In his report, Deputy Davis, a certified Drug Recognition Expert, stated his opinion that Long was impaired by a combination of cannabis and alcohol and was unsafe to operate a vehicle.
With Long's consent, her grandparents drove her vehicle from the scene. The Department of Child Services was notified due to her 2.5-year-old son being in the vehicle during the alleged intoxicated driving incident. Long was issued a citation for Driving Under the Influence.
