Last Updated on July 5, 2021, 8:39 PM | Published: July 5, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Eastern Oklahoma County was the scene of multiple driving-under-the-influence (DUI) arrests Friday night and early Saturday morning involving a checkpoint and heavier patrols by multiple agencies.
Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) spokesman Aaron Brilbeck says that a combination of their deputies, police officers from Choctaw and Harrah, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted a checkpoint near N.E. 23rd Street and Triple-X Road starting Friday evening.
The agencies then conducted “saturation patrols” in the area.
DUI checkpoints are one of several measures that law enforcement uses to reduce the number of impaired drivers on active holiday weekends that traditionally involve heavy drinking.
Independence Day (4th of July) weekend and New Year’s Day trade positions for the top most dangerous weekends for drunk driving each year.
No alcohol-involved arrests were made that evening but OCSO reports that five individuals were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs, three drug bookings, and “numerous vehicle and traffic violations.”
OCSO also reports that “a small amount of meth and illegal opioids were seized.”
Unincorporated areas
Northeastern Oklahoma County around Luther and Jones and the eastern quarter of the county around Spencer, Harrah, and Choctaw make up the most unincorporated square miles in the county.
The smaller, isolated municipalities regularly coordinate with the OCSO and the Highway Patrol to handle situations that require more law enforcement officers than the towns have on their own police forces.
The City of Oklahoma City limits covers about 2/3 of the county completely covering the central, western, and southwestern parts of the county.
The OCSO has deputies that participate in special task forces with the Oklahoma City Police Department as well as providing coordinated coverage in the more rural parts of the City limits.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
