Corey Jones

It's a continuation of reporting on deadly police chases I began a decade ago when Oklahoma Highway Patrol pursuits led to a string of deaths – and OHP refused to talk about its policies and practices with me. My coverage has expanded to other agencies and the state as a whole.

I was honored earlier this month to earn second place in the @AMarkFoundation's investigative journalism category at the Oklahoma Press Association’s annual convention. My entry: “Car chases: Danger and deaths.”

2/7 The ONF Board of Trustees selected me for my ongoing coverage of Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s dangerous and deadly car chases and shootings tulsaworld.com/news/local/co…

1/7 I was incredibly honored Saturday to receive the 2025 Beachy Musselman Award from the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation. It’s the highest honor the foundation presents each year.

I've been on the other app for a couple of weeks now. I'll still post stories here, but I'll be more active in the new place. I like it better and seem to be getting more engagement on posts there than here despite fewer followers at this point.

Have you done your civics yet

Vote y'all!

4/7 The chases are contrary to a recent DOJ report with the Police Executive Research Forum that recommends pursuits only take place for violent crimes and where the suspect presents an imminent threat to the public — based solely on the criminal actions and not driving behavior.

3/7 Both lawsuits from those fatalities illustrate the gamble taken in high-speed chases over minor matters that might not carry a jail sentence, much less the death penalty. One resulted in a $7.6M verdict for a grieving family this year, while the other was a $2.5K settlement.

6/9 Some top experts say vehicle chases aren't worth the risks if a violent crime isn’t involved — eluding itself doesn’t count. All but 1 of OHP's 17 deadly chases were prompted by property crime or traffic violations. OHP's chase policy: "promote the safety of all persons".

5/9 A rookie trooper touched on the dangers posed to the public because of the fast speeds: “A lot of (motorists) are, for the most part, kind of oblivious to what’s going on due to our speeds. They don’t start actively moving out of the way until we’re almost right upon them.”

4/9 A turn signal violation and equipment failure prompted the chase. Family of the dead passengers — Mercedes Martinez and Ethan Mestas — criticized OHP. They blame Mills for the wreck and the eluder for not stopping the stolen truck. OHP cuffed the critically hurt Martinez.

3/9 OHP unanimously approved of Trooper Nick Mills’ maneuver. It was termed a “tactical vehicle intervention” — or intentionally spinning out the truck — despite Mills' contention that the fleeing driver swerved into him to cause the wreck. OHP didn't address the inconsistency.

2/9 Video shows a state trooper appearing to use his cruiser to nudge an eluding pickup truck into a violent roll — ultimately killing 2 passengers — but the trooper told his agency's investigators he didn’t cause the crash. Some of his comments also clash with policy/training.