By Cara Cowan Watts, Cherokee411.com
A federal grand jury has indicted an Owasso man, a Cherokee Nation citizen, in connection with a September 2025 crash that killed a Tulsa Fire Department lieutenant and injured three other people. The indictment was unsealed July 9, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
Christopher Robert Chaney, 52, of Owasso, is charged with one count of Involuntary Manslaughter in Indian Country, two counts of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country, and one count of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding in Indian Country, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma.
The crash
According to court documents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the crash occurred just after 9 a.m. on September 30, 2025, near the intersection of East 116th Street North and Garnett Road in Owasso — within the Cherokee Nation Reservation. Prosecutors allege Chaney was driving a pickup truck at more than 40 mph over the posted 35 mph speed limit, failed to obey a red traffic signal, and had consumed hydrocodone and cannabis before the crash.
The truck struck a line of vehicles stopped at the red light, setting off a chain-reaction collision involving five vehicles. Owasso Police Department Lt. Nick Boatman, speaking to media at the scene, described the truck coming through at a high rate of speed and said spilled fuel turned the pileup into what he called a “big fireball.”
Tulsa Fire Department Lieutenant Brian Bizzell, a 27-year veteran of the department, was killed in the crash. Two other people were seriously injured, and a fourth person was injured, according to court documents.
Charges and federal jurisdiction
Each count against Chaney carries the designation “in Indian Country,” reflecting the legal basis for federal jurisdiction under the Major Crimes Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1153. Because Chaney is a Cherokee Nation citizen and the crash occurred within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation, the case falls under exclusive federal jurisdiction rather than state court, regardless of the citizenship or tribal status of the victims.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Owasso Police Department, with assistance from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Dunn is prosecuting the case. Chaney turned himself in to authorities and was taken into custody by the FBI.
Cherokee Nation courts played a role in one aspect of the investigation: because Chaney is a Cherokee Nation citizen, investigators obtained a search warrant through Cherokee Nation courts authorizing collection of a blood sample. The warrant was approved, and the sample was taken as part of the investigation. The prosecution itself remains a federal matter; there is no indication the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service is involved in the ongoing case.
Court documents state that while being transported to the hospital, Chaney told paramedics he had taken a Lortab for a toothache and was rushing to a dentist appointment before the crash. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Chaney had consumed hydrocodone and cannabis. Witnesses reported Chaney was driving recklessly and periodically left the roadway before the crash, according to court records.
Trial date
Chaney appeared in federal court July 28, 2026, where a judge set his trial date for March 1, 2027. If convicted, Chaney faces up to eight years in federal prison on the involuntary manslaughter count, with the assault charges carrying potential additional penalties.
As with all federal criminal cases, the charges in the indictment are allegations only. Chaney is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Channel 6 article appears to have the only image of Chaney as he enters the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tulsa.
https://www.newson6.com/fbi-
