Probe into deadly Guymon crash leaves questions surrounding the investigation

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) —  An investigation into a deadly crash in Oklahoma's Panhandle that claimed the lives of an eight-year-old girl and her grandfather continues to raise questions more than two years later. As first reported by the Oklahoman and Oklahoma Watch, the collision occurred in 2023 on Mile 33 Road and U.S. 412 east of Guymon and involved a vehicle operated by District One Drug Task Force officer, Eldon Halliburton. Eight-year-old Petronila and her grandparents were travelling along Mile 33 Road before the crash occurred. Official reports concluded that Petronila's grandfather failed to stop at a stop sign. "The crash involved a drug task force vehicle and resulted in the deaths of a little girl, Petronila, and her grandfather," J.C. Hallman, an investigative reporter with the Oklahoma Watch, said. Documents reviewed by Hallman and his co-reporter, Maria Guinnip, reveal several unanswered questions about the initial response and investigation. Oklahoma Highway Patrol dispatch records show the crash was logged 11 minutes after it occurred. However, records reviewed by reporters do not indicate that a 911 call was ever placed. Records also indicate a tow truck was requested 38 minutes after the collision, before the trooper responsible for conducting the formal crash investigation arrived. "There were just a whole number of things that seemed to be off about how it was investigated," Hallman said. "They removed the vehicles from the accident scene before the trooper tasked with actually doing the investigation arrived." According to Hallman, investigators initially did not realize the child had been inside the vehicle. Family members later began asking about her whereabouts, and that's when investigators returned to the cleared scene to search for Petronila. "It took them a while to figure out that she was unaccounted for," Hallman said. "Petronila was there for six hours before her body was discovered." Obtaining records related to the crash was not easy. Hallman said Oklahoma Watch was initially told that no dash camera footage existed from either the investigating troopers or the state vehicle involved in the crash. Then, unexpectedly, video footage surfaced. "DHS intel had told us there was no dash cam at all," Hallman said. "Then suddenly, out of the blue, Buddy Leach sends us the dash cam video." Buddy Leach is the District Attorney for District One, and the drug task force Halliburton was a member of, which operated under Leach. Leach sent this statement to reporters after their initial requests for records pertaining to the crash After sending the dash camera video, Leach told Hallman it was provided by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and maintained that there was "no evidence of reckless behavior" by Halliburton in a second statement he sent to reporters. Oklahoma Watch also pursued legal action to obtain black box data from the task force vehicle. According to Hallman, officials ultimately agreed to release the requested records if the news organization dropped the lawsuit. The vehicle data revealed that Halliburton was traveling 15 miles per hour over the speed limit before the crash and slowed only slightly prior to impact. Records also show Halliburton was not tested for drugs or alcohol following the collision. Among the records obtained by reporters was a collision report stamped with the words "Investigation Incomplete." "It turns out there had never been a full investigation," Hallman said. "As we look deeper, it starts to look like that might have been by design."