OK woman charged in death of social worker who died in three-car crash two years ago

JAY, Okla. — A Delaware County woman surrendered to authorities on Wednesday afternoon on an outstanding warrant in connection with a three-vehicle crash that killed a Grove woman in 2022.

Ronda D. Crawford, 56, of Jay, is charged in Delaware County District Court in Jay with first-degree manslaughter. She is free on $20,000 bail.

“This was a horrible accident,” said Winston Connor, II, Crawford’s attorney. “After two years, my client learned of an outstanding warrant, contacted me, and surrendered to authorities.”

Crawford is accused of excessive speeding that caused the crash, killing Mary Tanner, 47, in March 2022.

Tanner , a social worker for 19 years, earned the State Child Welfare Distinguished Career Award in November 2020.

A  witness reported to Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers Crawford was driving around 80 mph.  Speed limit signs in the area are marked at 55 mph.

Crawford, who was operating a 2020 Land Rover Discovery, and Barbara Lewis, who was operating a 2018 Ford Explorer pulling an enclosed utility trailer, were traveling southbound on US-59.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, while driving through a marked safety zone, Crawford struck Lewis’s vehicle as she attempted to pass, causing Lewis’s vehicle to enter the northbound lane. That’s where Lewis was struck by an oncoming vehicle driven by Kristen Tanner.

The impact on Tanner’s vehicle caused Lewis to run off the road, overturn, coming to rest on its side, leaving Lewis pinned for approximately two hours. A passenger in Lewis’ vehicle, a teenage girl, was pinned for approximately three hours, according to an OHP report.

Kristen Tanner, who was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, and her passengers, Shirley Krause, 71, of Jay, Mary Tanner, and a 4-year-old girl, were all pinned for approximately one hour.

Crawford was not injured, the affidavit states.

According to court records, charges in this case were not filed until August of this year, more than two years after the fatal crash.

In the past, Crawford pleaded guilty to separate speeding tickets in 2018 and 2023, also in Delaware County.

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