KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Court documents unsealed Thursday in a criminal case against a woman charged with second-degree murder in a deadly crash in January show the woman had a previous conviction for driving under the influence.
Just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, a black Ford Bronco driven by Amy Crouch, 46, was heading eastbound on W. 89th Terrace when Crouch failed to stop at a stop sign at Park Street in Lenexa.
The Bronco t-boned a silver Toyota RAV 4 in the intersection. The force of the collision sent the Bronco crashing through the fence of a nearby residence.
Witnesses told the first police officers who arrived on the scene that someone was still trapped inside of the RAV4.
Officers were eventually able to break into the RAV4 where they located Tsige G. Mesfin, 48, unresponsive. Paramedics who eventually arrived on the scene declared Mesfin had died.
Police spoke with a passenger in the Ford Bronco who said she and Crouch had been at Em Chamas and Barley’s Bar earlier in the evening. Police smelled the odor of alcohol on the breath of the passenger.
Another officer spoke with Couch, who told police the pair had just left Barley’s and that she had not stopped at the stop sign at the intersection of W. 89th Street and Park. The officer smelled the odor of alcohol coming from Couch and conducted a field sobriety test.
Couch agreed to a breath sample which came back with a BAC of .188.
Police presented the case to the Johnson County District Attorney’s office, who eventually charged Couch with second-degree murder.
Crouch remains in custody at the Johnson County Adult Detention Center on a $500,000 bond. Her next court appearance is set for 10 a.m. on March 26.
The court documents released Thursday indicate Crouch had been convicted of driving under the influence in Olathe in 2000.
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