Edmond man pleads guilty in fatal collision

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma man accused of drunkenly driving at 140 mph when he caused a fatal crash has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Oklahoma County court records indicate 35-year-old Arthur Wesley Straehla III of Edmond pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday in the May 2018 collision that killed 65-year-old Donna Jean Rush.

Rush, a nurse from El Reno, was driving on the Kilpatrick Turnpike north of Oklahoma City when Straehla’s Porsche collided with her vehicle.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers said Straehla smelled of alcohol and had trouble with his balance. A test of his blood showed his alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit.

Straehla’s defense attorney, Billy Coyle, told The Oklahoman the victim’s family agreed to the sentence.