A Farmington man whose oil field truck slammed head-on into a car and killed two women reportedly suffered a seizure while driving, court records state.
Ambert Teasyatwho, 44, faces two counts of second-degree felony homicide by vehicle while DUI in the deaths of Cheyenne Yazzie, 24, and Kimberly Lowe, 30, both of Kirtland. They were killed in a Feb. 2 head-on crash on Pinon Hills Boulevard.
Teasyatwho reportedly appeared intoxicated after the crash, but police stated they “did not smell the odor of an intoxicating beverage coming from” him despite his inability to complete a walk-and-turn and a one-leg stand, court records state.
At the time of the crash, Teasyatwho allegedly told police he was not under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication and the “he was safe to be driving.” However, he later admitted to taking a prescription medication for seizures twice each day and stated that he “smokes marijuana on weekends,” according to the statement of probable cause.
The seizure medication that Teasyatwho reportedly takes, causes “dizziness, drowsiness, tiredness and weakness with a warning to avoid driving,” according to drugs.com.
Teasyatwho’s defense attorney, Shellie A. Patscheck, disclosed to the court in a motion to transport that her client “was diagnosed with a seizure disorder in March 2023.”
Patscheck further wrote that “there is evidence” Teasyatwho “had a seizure on the date of his arrest.” She alleged the medical complications surrounding his seizure disorder “haven’t been addressed at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center.”
San Juan County Spokesman Devin Neeley said “all detainees are assessed at intake for medical and mental conditions and needs. Detainees are reassessed within 14 days,” at the San Juan County Detention Center, which has medical staff on contract “at the facility around the clock, seven days a week.”
Neeley said if there are medical issues, “detainees have access to medical staff multiple times a day and can submit medical requests for any new issues. Contract medical staff provide treatment within their licensure and scope, should a detainee require a higher or more specialized level of care, accommodations are made to ensure the care required is received.”
However, Teasyatwho is regularly begin transported to San Juan Health Partners, 407 South Schwartz Avenue, for medical care and treatment of the seizure disorder from Dr. Michael Ting, and “counsel for the state, Ian Jump does not oppose this motion,” according to court records.
Despite Teasyatwho’s illness, questions remain as to why he was driving the date of the crash.
New Mexico statutes and regulations do not deny individuals with epilepsy a driver’s license, but the New Mexico Drivers manual recommends “a person with epilepsy have frequent checkups, practice careful management of medicines and be stable and seizure-free for up to six months” before filling out a driver’s license application, according to information obtained from the Epilepsy Foundation.
Teasyatwho reportedly told police he worked for Hilcorp Energy Co., and “he was driving from Aztec to La Plata Highway to check his wells,” court records state.
A representative from Hilcorp Energy Co., who declined to provide his name stated that Teasyatwho was not an employee of the company.
Teasyatwho was driving eastbound on Pinon Hills Boulevard at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 2 when he crossed the median and struck a “red passenger car” in the westbound lane, Farmington Police Department said in an incident report.
Teasyatwho has a criminal record with several traffic violations including four prosecuted DUIs, one dismissed DUI charge and one pending DUI charge. He has eight traffic citations including careless driving. According to court records, he has a conviction for aggravated battery, two convictions for disorderly conduct, a conviction for assaulting a peace officer, and a conviction for possessing an illegal-substance conviction.
Teasyatwho waived his arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty on March 27. He will have a pretrial conference at 8 a.m. June 10 in the 11th Judicial District Court.
