OKLAHOMA CITY– The attorney representing the woman arrested in the deadly OSU homecoming parade crash says she was not intoxicated and suffers from mental illness.
Adacia Chambers, 25, is charged in connection with plowing her car into a crowd of people watching the end of the OSU homecoming parade Saturday morning. Dozens were injured and 4 died as a result of the crash.
Tony Coleman spoke Sunday and says he spent a little over an hour with Chambers Saturday night.
He says she was arrested under the suspicion of Driving Under the Influence and thinks that was the appropriate move on the part of law enforcement. Coleman says he is trained in DUI and DWI detection and says his client did not suffer from any of the normal signs of having been drunk or under the influence of drugs. Investigators are still waiting for the toxicology results.
After spending time with her, Coleman says, “I was not satisfied that I was communicating with a competent person. Miss Chambers suffers from mental illness, as to what type has yet to be determined.”
He admits he is not a psychiatrist or psychologist, but he has experience and understands the warning signs of mental illness.
Coleman says the first thing he will ask for is a psychiatric evaluation and a competency hearing.
Coleman says the night before the crash she was taking part in the OSU homecoming tradition known as ‘Walk Around’ where people walk through neighborhoods admiring decorations. She was with her grandmother and aunt. They say she did not have any alcohol or take any other kind of substance.
She worked at a fast-food restaurant and left for work early so she could arrive for her 9:00 A.M. shift on time Saturday morning. He says she did but within about an hour something happened and he is unclear on the events as is his client. He says she cannot remember much of what happened after that until the end of the crash. She does remember being removed from the car and cooperating with police.
Coleman says she and her boyfriend have a good relationship and he says she could be diabetic but is not being treated for it.
He says the Chambers family is devastated. He says their thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy.
