Court Appearance Monday for Woman Accused in OK Parade Crash

Chambers, a Stillwater resident, remained jailed Sunday and could make her initial court appearance today, Gibbs said.

A driver mowed into an Oklahoma State University homecoming parade in Stillwater Saturday, killing four and injuring 47.

He also said she was taking “a cocktail of medications” to help her illness, but discontinued for reasons unclear and was not medicated at the time of the crash.

Prosecutors also said they needed more time to interview the dozens of witnesses at the scene of Saturday morning’s accident at Main Street and Hall of Fame Ave.

The prosecutor said that Chambers was a “flight risk” because she faces the possibility of four life terms.

Chambers appeared by video link with Payne County District Court in her first court proceeding for the case.

The attorney for Chambers has requested a psychological evaluation for her, which was granted.

Chambers’ father, Floyd Chambers told reporters before the arraignment that his daughter had previously been hospitalized for mental issues, and “she might have underlying problems that I wasn’t fully aware of”.

Her boyfriend, Jesse Gaylord, said Chambers had difficulty sleeping and only got an hour or two of sleep before leaving for work Saturday morning.

“Her responses to my questions, her reactions to information that I supplied her with led me to be concerned about her capacity and her competency at this time”, Coleman said.

Stillwater police Capt. Kyle Gibbs had no further comment Saturday prior to a news conference about the incident. “She’s Cherokee Indian. And they are very well known and loved and respected in Oolagah, where they’re from”. He described her as “timid” and said she had attended homecoming festivities Friday night with family but that her boyfriend had told him she was home by 10 p.m. “She’s just not that kind of person”. That’s not who I raised, ‘ he said. Forty-six other people were injured in the collision, said Stillwater police.

After careful deliberation, officials made a decision to let the football game proceed, Hargis said.

One of the injured had been a baby sitter of hers, she said. ‘She’s one that’ll give you a big hug.

He said Chambers was at work before the crash and that she doesn’t remember much of what happened, only that she felt extremely confused as she was removed from the vehicle. She worked at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers in Stillwater, her employer said.

Authorities are waiting for blood test results to see if Chambers was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“She wouldn’t have done this purposefully”. “I’m not with her 24/7, but I’ve never noticed her blacking out”. I’ll be curious to hear from anyone who can explain how a mental illness might play into a legal defense.

“I didn’t detect any signs nor was there an odor of alcohol coming from her body”, he said.

‘She’s honestly one of the most cautious drivers that I’ve ever ridden with. She doesn’t run yellow lights. However, he stated Chambers was “medicated on a cocktail of medications”, though it did not factor into the crash.

Also on Sunday, Stillwater police released the names of those killed and injured.

“We offer our condolences to the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma and to OSU’s students from India on the loss of UCO student Nakita Prabhakar”. Oklahoma State University said the boy’s mother, 20-year-old Nicolette Strauch, is a sophomore majoring in chemical engineering.