Charge filed in traffic death of Blue Springs man

The driver in a May traffic crash that killed a Blue Springs man was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter.

Documents filed in Jackson County District Court allege that Julian Melissinas was speeding and driving under the influence of marijuana before the May 18 crash near Missouri 78 and Holke Road in Independence that killed 19-year-old Clint Reno, a passenger in the car.

Melissinas, 20, also of Blue Springs, was covered in blood when he went to a nearby house seeking help. He told the first arriving police officer that he had been involved in an accident, according to the documents.

Blood samples later drawn from him at a hospital tested positive for marijuana, court records said.

An officer who conducted a reconstruction of the wreck estimated that the car driven by Melissinas was going 115 mph before it went airborne and crashed, according to the allegations.

Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Charge filed in traffic death of Blue Springs man."