‘Without regard for human life’: Prosecutors add murder charges against driver in deadly Park Tavern

New charges added against Park Tavern crash subject

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Monday announced that after receiving additional evidence, it has amended the charges against Steven Frane Bailey, 56, to include two counts of third-degree murder in connection with the drunken driving crash at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park that killed two people.

Bailey was initially charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular manslaughter. Court documents state his preliminary blood-alcohol content was 0.325 — over four times the legal limit — at the time of the crash.

Methodist ICU Coordinator Gabe Harvey and Park Tavern employee Kristina Folkerts were killed in the crash, and nine others were injured.

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The Attorney’s Office defined third-degree murder as someone causing another’s death “by perpetuating an act eminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, without regard for human life.” It added that at the time of the original charges, it hadn’t yet received surveillance video of the crash. Evidence from the video supports third-degree murder charges, court officials said.

Surveillance video from Park Tavern shows Bailey turn right from Louisiana Avenue onto Oak Leaf Court and then turn right into the parking lot. According to prosecutors, Bailey would have had a clear view of the restaurant’s patio. The parking lot was also nearly full, and people were walking in the area.

Prosecutors say after entering the parking lot, Bailey passed several parked cars and then stopped shortly after passing an empty parking spot and appeared to try to back into the spot. He ultimately hit another car and tried to speed away from the car he hit.

As he sped through the parking lot, surveillance showed an SUV turning into the area and Bailey swerving to avoid it. He then hit the rear driver’s side door of the vehicle without slowing down and continued to speed toward the patio, according to court officials.Bailey then accelerated past a two-lane parking lot and 11 empty parking spaces, before plowing through a metal fence into the patio.

Bailey’s vehicle hit several occupied tables and several people. Prosecutors say he kept driving through the full length of the patio without braking. The car didn’t slow down until it hit several boulders and came to an abrupt stop.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said it asked Park Tavern not to release the footage of the crash due to the ongoing investigation and to allow victims and their families to watch it privately in the time and manner they choose.