October 15, 2024
A couple from Tahlequah was recently arrested after leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit in Custer County. The couple allegedly had an 11-month-old child in the car during the chase.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the incident occurred on September 20 when 28-year-old Antonio Trejo and 35-year-old Fawn Claunts were arrested following the pursuit by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
The affidavit states that a trooper observed a car driving west on Interstate 40 near the 74-mile marker, traveling at 102 miles per hour in a 70-mile-per-hour zone. After briefly losing sight of the vehicle, the trooper located it again and pulled it over near the 68-mile marker.
According to the court document, the trooper noted that the driver, Trejo, smelled of alcohol. When administered a preliminary breath test, he tested within the range of a DUI.
Also in the car were Claunts and Claunts’ and Trejo’s 11-month-old child. Claunts reportedly does not have a valid driver’s license and also smelled of alcohol. She, too, allegedly tested within the DUI range when offered a breath test.
A search of the car revealed a container of malt liquor under the passenger seat.
Later, a Child Welfare Specialist with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services arrived, and the child was placed into their custody. Claunts was arrested.
The report states that Claunts initially claimed she did not know Trejo had been drinking, as she had been asleep during the drive. However, she later admitted to drinking vodka while Trejo consumed the malt liquor found under the seat.
Trejo was charged with reckless driving, driving with an open container, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, and willful child abuse. Claunts was charged with knowingly permitting a child to be in a car while the driver was intoxicated.
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