DUI wreck involving KCK official ended with a man losing his tooth: Court records
A summer evening vehicle collision that landed a Wyandotte County official on administrative leave also resulted in a bystander losing his tooth, according to court documents.
Earlier this month, a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy arrested Chelsee Chism — the economic development director who has led key deals for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas — for aggravated battery and driving under the influence causing great bodily harm/disfigurement.
Those charges are linked to a May 13 incident during which Chism, who allegedly had a blood-alcohol content that was four times the legal limit, allegedly crashed into a vehicle owned by the Kansas Department of Transportation while driving near U.S. Highway 69 and 95th Street in Johnson County.
The KDOT vehicle was allegedly parked off the shoulder of the road, well out of the way of passing traffic. Chism was driving at normal highway speeds and veered off the road when she struck the car, according to an affidavit from the Johnson County District Court, sent to The Star on Wednesday.
The collision between the two vehicles sent debris flying in the direction of a bystander, struck him in the mouth and knocked out one of his front teeth, according to the affidavit.
Chism’s defense initially requested not to disclose the affidavit, but asked that if the court did release it, that it redact the victim’s name. The court redacted identifying information of the victim from the report.
Testing after the incident revealed Chism’s blood-alcohol content was 0.35 grams of ethyl alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, according to the affidavit.
After a Tuesday afternoon hearing, the court scheduled Chism a preliminary hearing on Aug. 27.
Although Chism is on administrative leave, the deals she’s participated in negotiating on behalf of Wyandotte County will remain ongoing in her absence, the Unified Government told The Star after her arrest.
“We already have a team in place, both internal and external members, to continue handling all economic development matters,” the government’s spokesperson said at the time.
This situation comes as Wyandotte County is juggling several major projects, most notably the Kansas City Chiefs’ plans to cross state lines into Kansas and build a new, domed, $3 billion stadium in west KCK.
Residents have continued to call on local officials to secure a strong community benefits agreement in those negotiations in order to ensure the deal will benefit all Wyandotte County residents, including those living east of I-635.
