Man drank alcohol, consumed mushrooms prior to fatal crash: MSHP

CLAYTON, Mo. – A Florissant area man is charged with causing a high-speed collision earlier this year that claimed the lives of two women and injured four others. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened just before 11:10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 2 on Lewis and Clark Boulevard (Highway 367) just south of Chambers Road. The crash involved two vehicles: a 2016 Chrysler 300 and a 2015 Mazda 3. The crash report stated the driver of the Chrysler 300 was traveling northbound and speeding when he lost control of his vehicle, overcorrected, crossed into the southbound lanes, and was t-boned by the Mazda 3. Just minutes after the crash, EMS arrived and declared a 26-year-old female passenger in the Chrysler dead at the scene. The driver of the Mazda 3, a 22-year-old woman, was rushed to Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 12:50 a.m. the following morning. Neither woman was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, the crash report said. Two other female occupants in the Mazda 3, an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old, were also not wearing their seat belts. They suffered serious injuries. A 31-year-old woman riding in the Chrysler 300 was wearing her seat belt and suffered serious injuries. The driver of the Chrysler 300, identified as Marc A. Stovall, had his seat belt on and suffered only moderate injuries. Stovall was 21 at the time of the crash. The highway patrol said Stovall initially denied drinking or consuming drugs prior to the crash. Over the course of their investigation, the highway patrol learned that Stovall had been to two different bars and consumed alcohol ahead of time. Stovall was also seen going to the trunk of his car and consuming mushrooms. A state trooper located mushrooms inside Stovall’s car after the crash. They later tested positive for psilocybin. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Stovall with two counts of first-degree involuntary manslaughter, three counts of second-degree assault, and one count of possession of a controlled substance. Online records do not indicate when Stovall will appear in court.