A local man was arrested for driving under the influence Monday evening after a traffic stop initiated following a report of a domestic disturbance. The suspect in this incident is a member of the Choctaw Nation.
According to a report by Atoka Police Officer Christian Shomo, who is also cross-deputized with the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse, he was dispatched to a physical domestic disturbance on West Liberty around 6:30 PM. En route, he was informed the suspect had left in a black lifted GMC pickup. Officer Shomo observed a vehicle matching that description heading west on Liberty, conducted a U-turn, and initiated a traffic stop near Greathouse Drive after the vehicle swerved. The pickup then pulled into the Choctaw Nation Health Clinic parking lot.
The driver, later identified as Tommy Graham, exited his vehicle with visible blood on his face and arms. When asked if he was involved in the altercation, Graham admitted that he was. Officer Shomo detained Graham in handcuffs for his involvement in the domestic incident. During this interaction, the officer reported detecting a strong odor of alcohol on Graham's person and breath. Graham allegedly stated he had consumed six beers.
Due to Graham's tribal affiliation, Officer Shomo requested assistance from Choctaw Nation Lighthorse. He asked Graham to provide a preliminary breath test, which Graham refused after inquiring about the device's calibration date.
Officer Shomo then conducted a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, observing all six possible indicators of impairment in Graham's eyes. Graham's eyes also reportedly failed to converge during the Lack of Convergence test. Due to the ongoing domestic investigation and Graham being in handcuffs, the remaining field sobriety tests were not administered.
Choctaw Nation Tribal Officer Kasey Shields arrived on the scene and was briefed on the domestic disturbance. Officer Shomo informed Officer Shields that he would be arresting Graham for driving under the influence, and Officer Shields took over the domestic investigation.
Graham was informed he was under arrest for driving under the influence and was read the State's Implied Consent Notice, which he initially refused. He was transported to the Atoka County Jail. While at the jail, Graham agreed to take the State's Breath Test, which, administered within the twohour timeframe using the Intoxilyzer 8000, yielded a result of 0.07. Graham was subsequently charged with driving while intoxicated.
