Raymond Kimbrough

Introduction

Raymond Alan Kimbrough, a 43-year-old major with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma, is charged with negligent homicide with a motor vehicle after authorities say he accelerated through a red light at about 55 mph while responding to an emergency call south of Norman on May 8, 2026, and slammed into a car driven by Alison Nagell, a 31-year-old mother who died at the scene. The charge, filed October 1, 2026, is a misdemeanor — punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine — but the affidavit behind it accuses Kimbrough of “reckless disregard for the safety of others,” saying he began accelerating against the signal more than 100 feet before his sight lines allowed him to see whether the intersection was clear. Kimbrough turned himself in and was released on bond, and he remains employed by the sheriff’s office on administrative leave.

Background Information

Kimbrough was a sheriff’s office major driving a county-issued, unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe, with emergency lights and sirens activated, when the crash happened around 11 p.m. on May 8, 2026. He was responding to a call for an “officer in need of assistance” — a deputy who had been assaulted and injured during a traffic stop in southern Cleveland County. The crash occurred at the intersection of U.S. Highway 77 — Classen Boulevard — and Cedar Lane Road, where court documents say fencing along the northeast corner obstructed sight lines between the southbound and westbound approaches. Oklahoma law allows officers to proceed past a red or stop signal during an emergency, but only after slowing down as necessary for safe operation.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Kimbrough faces a misdemeanor negligent-homicide charge; he has not been tried, and a criminal charge is an accusation — he remains innocent unless proven guilty.

Per the affidavit prepared by Norman Police Detective Dustin Underhill, Kimbrough was traveling southbound at about 55 mph when he drove through the “steady” red light and collided with Nagell’s car, which was traveling west through the intersection on a green light; she died at the scene. The police report cited in coverage states the deputy did slow from 77 mph to 52 mph, but accelerated again before he could see whether the intersection was clear. “The investigation found that the defendant displayed a reckless disregard for the safety of others by not properly slowing as necessary to clear the intersection for safe operation when approaching and continuing against the red signal,” the affidavit said, adding that the point where he began accelerating against the signal was over 100 feet from where sight lines would have allowed full visibility of westbound traffic. The charge — negligent homicide with a motor vehicle — was filed in Cleveland County District Court on October 1, 2026, and the case was assigned to the Pontotoc County District Attorney’s Office to avoid a conflict.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Pontotoc County District Attorney Erik Johnson acknowledged the tension at the heart of the case in a statement: “Law enforcement officers have a difficult and often dangerous job, and we recognize that responding to emergencies sometimes requires split-second decisions. But with that authority comes an extraordinary responsibility to protect the public.” Kimbrough turned himself in for arrest on Monday, October 19, 2026, appeared in court with counsel that day, was released on bond, and his case was placed on the misdemeanor docket for November 16, 2026. Nagell’s death, first covered when the crash happened in May, drew renewed attention when the charge was filed, with the Oklahoman describing the victim as a local mom killed on her drive through a green light.

Current Status

Kimbrough remains on administrative leave — a status imposed by the previous sheriff’s administration — and is still employed at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office as the case proceeds. He has been released on bond ahead of his November 16, 2026 misdemeanor docket appearance. A conviction on the misdemeanor carries up to one year in jail and a fine of $100 to $1,000, and Oklahoma’s Commissioner of Public Safety is required to revoke the driver’s license of a person convicted of the offense.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A sheriff’s major who spent his career on the emergency-response side of the job now stands charged with causing a death during exactly such a response — a case that tests the line Oklahoma law draws between emergency driving privileges and the duty to slow down. He has spent the months since the crash on administrative leave rather than in the field, and the charge — even as a misdemeanor — puts a sworn commander in a defendant’s seat in district court. For Nagell’s family, the filing in October ended five months of waiting for a charging decision; whether it delivers accountability is what the November docket and any trial will decide.

Sources

• KOCO, “Cleveland County deputy who ran red light while responding to emergency is charged in deadly crash,” Oct 21, 2026 — source
• The Norman Transcript, “Cleveland County deputy charged with negligent homicide in car crash,” Oct 21, 2026 — source
• The Oklahoman via AOL, “Cleveland County deputy charged in fatal crash that killed local mom,” Oct 21, 2026 — source