‘4 times the legal limit’: Man charged with drunkenly crashing into Park Tavern patio, killing 2 and injuring 9
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Tuesday announced charges against a man accused of driving his car into the Park Tavern patio in St. Louis Park Sunday night, killing two people.
Steven Frane Bailey, 56, was arrested in connection with the crash.
Moriarty on Tuesday said that Bailey’s preliminary blood-alcohol content was 0.325 — over four times the legal limit — at the time of the crash. This was found using a breath test. Court documents state that a blood draw was also taken and results are pending.
He was charged Tuesday with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation.
Two people were killed in the crash — they were identified Monday as Methodist ICU Coordinator Gabe Harvey and Park Tavern employee Kristina Folkerts.
Click the links on their names to find GoFundMe’s to support their families.
While law enforcement initially said that three people were injured, Moriarty confirmed Tuesday that nine people had been injured. She said there could be additional charges if additional victims are found or come forward. If you were injured but haven’t reported it, you are asked to contact St. Louis Police Department.
Methodist Hospital confirmed that four people who were injured were nurses there.
The charges
As previously reported, St. Louis police were called to Park Tavern on Sunday on a report of a vehicle driving through the patio and hitting multiple people.
Bailey was still inside the vehicle and was the only person inside.
Folkerts was pinned under the car, according to a criminal complaint. Despite first aid, she died at the scene.
Several other people were receiving medical care from other patrons of the restaurant.
When officers approached the car, they heard Bailey on the phone saying, “I hit the gas instead of the brake and went right through a thing,” and “I’m probably going to jail,” court documents state.
Bailey also had slurred speech and watery and bloodshot eyes. During a field sobriety test, officers found six clues of Bailey being impaired. They didn’t perform any other tests because Bailey claimed he had surgery on his legs.
After being medically cleared at the hospital, Bailey was brought to jail. When he was told he was being booked for criminal vehicular homicide, he reportedly said, “You got to be kidding me” and “My life’s pretty much f***** now, isn’t it?”
Court documents also state that Harvey was brought to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Other injuries include:
- A woman sustained broken legs, a broken pelvis, broken ribs and dislocated knees. Court documents state she is still unconscious and intubated.
- One victim sustained head trauma and lost consciousness on the way to the hospital
- A man sustained head trauma, lacerations to his face and suffered a complete loss of memory about the crash or what happened prior to him being in the hospital.
- Several others suffered from minor injuries and bruises
Court documents state that Bailey has five prior DUI convictions and multiple license revocations.
Bailey’s first court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Moriarty said her office is asking for $1 million bail.