Tulsa World: Tulsa man arrested in fatal traffic crash

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Tulsa man arrested in fatal traffic crash

ARRESTED
Charles Strong Jr.: After six months of investigation, police linked a 1950s Chevrolet Bel Air to Strong and found witnesses who had seen him drinking at a bar before the May 9 collision. Officials say three people died when the driver of a car that swerved to avoid the Bel Air overcorrected and collided with a third vehicle.

By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer
Published: 11/10/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 11/10/2009 5:23 AM

A Tulsa man was arrested Monday in connection with a triple-fatality traffic accident in May in Nowata County.

Charles Strong Jr. was arrested in Tulsa on three complaints of second-degree murder. He has been transferred to the Nowata County Jail, where his bail will be set at $500,000, officials said.

Strong is accused of causing a May 9 crash that killed Kyler Blagg, 15, and his mother, Amy Blagg, 44, of Caney, Kan. Alfred Hobbs, 70, of South Coffeyville also died.

Kyler Blagg was driving north on U.S. 169 near Delaware when he swerved to avoid Strong's southbound 1950s Chevrolet Bel Air, which was trying to pass two cars.

Blagg's vehicle did not hit the Bel Air but slid off the road to the right and then overcorrected left of center, hitting Hobbs' Lincoln Town Car head-on, officials said.

Strong allegedly left the scene of the crash, and investigators had been trying to locate the driver of the Bel Air.

After six months, investigators connected the unique car to Strong and found witnesses who had seen him drinking at a bar before the collision, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. George Brown said.

The evidence was enough for a Nowata County district judge to issue a bench warrant for Strong's arrest, he said.

"This was some real good old-fashioned police work," Brown said.

Strong was convicted previously of driving under the influence and unlawful possession of a controlled drug, according to Oklahoma Department of Corrections records.

Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com By SHANNON MUCHMORE World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Tulsa man arrested in May fatality wreck," which was published on 11/9/2009.

	Report Comment Wizzened Old Timer, (11/9/2009 12:23:55 PM) How is it that this guy is responsible for a truck passing him in the lane in which a 15-year-old driver happens to occupy?
	Report Comment nuffsaid, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:25:00 PM) Wow, Can you make this story anymore ambiguous?
	Report Comment T.B'Ville, Bruins (11/9/2009 12:27:16 PM) Im not really understanding this. Was he passing in a no passing? How did they find him? I guess the 15 year old went into Hobbs and hit him head on?
	Report Comment T.B'Ville, Bruins (11/9/2009 12:28:16 PM) Wizzened, last I knew was that in Kansas you can get a learners permit at 14.
	Report Comment Carrie, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:28:25 PM) Wizzened, It sounds like Charles Strong, Jr was the one passing Hobbs. Kyler had to avoid hitting Strong, who shouldn't have been passing in the first place.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:30:38 PM) Shannon, you've inadvertently caused your readers to try to guess what the true facts of the story are... How about a revision.....?
	Report Comment OKIE MEDIC, (11/9/2009 12:33:26 PM) Read a little closer folks. Strong was trying to pass the elderly man (70 y/o Hobbs)when the 15 y/o tried to swerve and avoid him. Unfortunately, the young man wasn't successful and/or the other drivers also swerved in the same direction, which very often occurs in head-on collisons. In the midst of all the swerving and attempts to avoid hitting Strong head-on all vehicles were involved which ultimately resulted in 3 innocent lives being taken.
	Report Comment lucky girl, mine (11/9/2009 12:34:41 PM) It is a little strange
	Report Comment Tulsa World Web Reporter, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:39:13 PM) I added a few links to previous stories.
	Report Comment Jules09A, Sapulpa (11/9/2009 12:39:43 PM) What does this story even mean? The Tulsa World sucks. I don't think we can take Muchmore.
	Report Comment imflyinlow, (11/9/2009 12:46:40 PM) Good grief. Some people attract trouble like a yard mine attracts flies. Not terribly shocked about this latest revelation given the guy, unfortunately. Sigh. What goes around comes back to bite you hard.
	Report Comment Outrageous, (11/9/2009 12:50:21 PM) good one Jules
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:50:23 PM) In looking at the previous related links, It appears this guy maybe fled the scene maybe? And/or the OHP developed some information that he had been drinking earlier in the day, and based upon that determined that he was probably intoxicated at the time of the accident. The state can prove DUI without a BAC. Let's say you have a bartender willing to testify that a customer was served 6 beers in an hours time and left the bar a a known time, and the accident happened with 1/2 hour of the time that person left the bar. There is the proof. They would have charged 2nd degree unless there were some proof of intoxication.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/9/2009 12:51:26 PM) Thanks Tulsa World Web Reporter, send a memo to Shannon Muchmore to try to be a little more specific. Some of the readers like myself are a little slow-thinking...
	Report Comment FinallyDebtFree, Broken Arrow (11/9/2009 1:08:29 PM) The bail is an indicator of the weakness in this case. If I read the story correctly, he left an accident that he was not involved in, that happened BEHIND him. Is it possible that the reason he didn't stop is that he was paying attention to where he was going, instead of where he had already been? Seriously...were both the writer AND editor asleep at the switch? And, if so, were they together? :)
	Report Comment FinallyDebtFree, Broken Arrow (11/9/2009 1:16:25 PM) Tulsa World Reporter, I posted my comment before reading the others. Your first link made the whole thing even more unclear. Are we talking about a Lincoln Towncar? Surely nobody could mistake one of those for a 55 chevy, which could never be confused with a 57. Even a blind person could tell the difference in the sound of the motor. Do I dare look at the second link?
	Report Comment Tulsa World State Editor Michael Dekker, (11/9/2009 1:31:03 PM) The story has been updated. We are trying to get more information about the arrest and will update the story when it becomes available.
	Report Comment Cooldaddy, Broken Arrow (11/9/2009 1:41:49 PM) You can run ... but'cha can't hide.
	Report Comment Tulsa World Web Reporter, Tulsa (11/9/2009 2:01:04 PM) Just updated...
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/9/2009 2:03:57 PM) Look at my ealier post before update. It is as I suspected. They got him.
	Report Comment Elusive, the burbs (11/9/2009 2:05:02 PM) Keep these repeat drunks off our roads!
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/9/2009 2:18:42 PM) Sketchy, at best. If he is a drunk then I'm glad he is off the roads.
	Report Comment forkandknife, Tulsa (11/9/2009 2:28:11 PM) I am not really understanding this whole story??
	Report Comment shaw411, Scottsdale, AZ (11/9/2009 2:35:31 PM) A little slow thinking? From what I see at the current version it is pretty cut and dry as to what happened.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/9/2009 2:38:05 PM) You folks at the Tulsa World do a really good job 90% of the time... It's that 10% we notice, however. Thanks!

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