BARNSDALL, Okla. — New details after the driver in a crash that killed a Barnsdall teenager in May was arrested.
36-year-old Weston Lowe was arrested and is facing charges of first-degree manslaughter, and child endangerment by driving under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatality accident.
Lowe is accused of driving under the influence while his daughter and her boyfriend, 15-year-old Tyson Townley, were in the vehicle.
Tyson’s mom, Stacey Harris, said her son and his girlfriend were supposed to be headed back to the girlfriend’s house for her 16th birthday party, but they never made it.
According to the affidavit, the crash happened around 5:50 p.m. on County Road 2409 north of County Road 2383 in Osage County on Saturday, May 4.
Through the investigation, OHP determined Lowe was driving a Mazda SUV northbound on County Road 2409 at a high speed and lost control. The vehicle went off the road and through a fence before it began to roll while continuing north for several hundred feet.
Tyson was ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Lowe’s 16-year-old daughter, Tyson’s girlfriend, was also ejected from the vehicle and pinned under the SUV when it came to rest on its roof.
According to the affidavit, a nearly empty bottle of whiskey was found at the scene.
A fourth person was in the vehicle, identified as Trey Taylor, and Lowe’s daughter stated Lowe was the person driving.
A witness who stopped at the scene after the crash said she noticed Lowe and Taylor walking around the scene as if they were picking up or looking for items. While she was tending to Lowe’s daughter, she noticed he was missing and had left the scene shortly after she said she was going to call the police, the affidavit said.
When OHP troopers responded, they were informed that there was a fatality and a person who ran away from the scene of the crash.
Once troopers arrived, they were flagged down by a landowner who said the person was hiding on his property.
OHP found Lowe in a field about 0.75 miles away from the scene, the affidavit said.
Both troopers were providing Lowe, who appeared to be critically injured, medical aid and noticed his breath smelled like alcohol.
The landowner stated Lowe was running through the field and appeared to be hiding from law enforcement before they arrived, the affidavit said.
According to the affidavit, an additional investigation determined on the day of the crash, Lowe and his wife were hosting a 16th birthday party for their daughter, Tyson’s girlfriend, at the Community Building in Barnsdall.
Several people who attended the party were interviewed and each stated they saw Lowe drinking alcohol there.
It was discovered that Lowe, his daughter, and Tyson left the party around 5 p.m. to take Tyson’s truck back to his house.
Taylor drove the SUV the Mazda while the others rode in Tyson’s truck with Tyson driving.
The affidavit said after the truck was dropped off, Lowe drove the Mazda with Taylor, his daughter, and Tyson in the car. All four of them were returning to the party when the crash happened.
A search warrant for Lowe’s medical records indicated Lowe had a high level of alcohol in his blood drawn shortly after he arrived to the hospital.