Independence man faces DWI and assault charges after deadly weekend crash
An Independence man has been charged in connection with a weekend collision that killed one and seriously injured two others.
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson announced Wednesday she had charged Mason R. McIntyre, 20, with one count of DWI death and two counts of second-degree assault.
Court records show officers responded to the crash at the intersection of Kentucky Road and Missouri 291 just before 9:20 p.m. Saturday and found McIntyre “entrapped behind the wheel” of a white 2004 Chevrolet Silverado, a court affidavit said. He was the only occupant in that vehicle.
“Independence Fire Department cut McIntyre out of the vehicle and he was transported to Centerpoint Medical Center due to his injuries,” a court affidavit said. “A Busch Light bottle was located inside the Chevrolet in the center console area.”
Detectives determined that the Silverado was travelling at a high rate of speed, ran a red light and struck the passenger side of a maroon 2010 Ford Ranger, according to a news release sent out Wednesday by the prosecutor’s office. The Ranger was northbound on MO-291 with a green light, the release said.
A passenger in the Ford Ranger, identified as Jennifer Jensen, 36, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other occupants of the vehicle, including a juvenile victim, were transported to area hospitals.
While McIntyre was at the hospital, his blood was drawn, the release said, “and the lab report revealed .186 BAC two hours after the crash.”
The DWI count carries up to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said. The two counts of second-degree assault carry up to seven years in prison each, if convicted.
Court records show a Jackson County judge set McIntyre’s bond at $100,000 cash-only.
The Star’s Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed reporting.
