Oklahoma man waiting federal trial in domestic violence assault

TULSA, Okla. — A man living in the Delaware County area is indicted on several assault charges in connection to the alleged beating and strangulation of his former girlfriend.

Clifton Clay Warren, 35, is charged with assault of an intimate and dating partner by strangling and suffocating, attempted kidnapping, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury – all in Indian Country.

A criminal complaint states Warren has a Lawton address but was staying in the Jay and Eucha area at the time of his arrest.  He is in federal custody awaiting his Aug. 5 trial date, according to online records.

A medical examination of the woman showed she sustained bruising, a busted blood vessel in her left eye, and a swollen left ear known as “cauliflower ear.”

A “cauliflower ear” is a deformation of the ear typically caused by repeated and direct blunt trauma to the outer ear and surrounding tissue, much like what boxers and MMA fighters experience.

She later refused to report any assaults to deputies denying she was hurt, the complaint states.  One witness reportedly overheard Warren threaten to kill the woman. The woman told authorities Warren never threatened to kill her but he threatened to kill himself if she would not be with him, court records show.

The woman told authorities Warren kept her confined in his RV trailer saying he “loved her a lot, and he did not want her to leave him like everybody in his life.” Warren denied to law enforcement he locked the woman in his RV trailer.

However, the woman reportedly told emergency rescue, law enforcement and medical providers, Warren stuffed a rag into her mouth to keep her quiet. But later relented and removed the rag saying to the woman, “he loved her and asked why she was doing that to him,” referring to leaving him. It was also noted she had small abrasions around the upper chest and neck area, the complaint states.

What Happened

The estranged couple spent the night and early morning hours of April 18, fighting because Warren told deputies the woman had been unfaithful to him and was leaving him, saying she “was not going to leave him ever, and she was his girl.”

The woman told authorities she and Warren had been in an on-again and off-again relationship for nine months throughout the relationship Warren “had been very physically and verbally abusive towards her, especially throughout the last few weeks.”

Warren confessed to authorities to hooking his arm around the woman’s neck from behind saying she was between, “good breathing and no good breathing, good breathing and no good breathing” as he dragged her back into the RV, the complaint states.

Warren told the deputies he planned to lock her up in the RV, leave and come back later when he was relaxed. Warren said he would check in with her, but told authorities “she was not going to leave,” the complaint states.

The arguing continued and two Delaware County deputies were called to a rural Delaware County road on April 18 around 8:45 a.m. on a domestic violence incident.

Two motorists stopped to assist the woman. During this time, Warren began arguing with the witnesses saying, “She is having a mental breakdown and if she doesn’t get away from me, I’ll have her killed,” the complaint states.

The woman told deputies during this time of the argument Warren said he was going to have a former girlfriend “kill her,” the complaint states.

Warren fled the scene before deputies arrived. Warren was traveling eastbound on Highway 28 riding a green bike and was taken into custody by Delaware County deputies later without incident.

If you, or someone you know, is in a domestic violence situation please reach out to the Delaware County Sheriff at (918) 253-4531, the Community Crisis Center at (918) 253-3939 in Jay or (918) 787-5381 in Grove or Wyandotte Nation (877) 276-0669 24 Hr. Hotline.

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