Driver charged in crash
The crash killed MU professor Charles D. Fulhage.
Feb. 29, 2008
(Click graphic to enlarge)
The man who is accused of causing a fatal car crash involving an MU professor has been charged with a felony and two misdemeanors.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, William C. Downs hit Charles D. Fulhage from behind around 5:25 p.m. Feb. 22 on westbound Interstate 70.
Fulhage’s 2001 Ford Ranger pickup ran off the road and was overturned on an embankment. He was transported to University Hospital on Feb. 22 and pronounced dead Feb. 26.
According to Missouri court documents, Downs, 33, is charged with the class C felony “second-degree assault: operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated resulting in injury.”
He is also facing two misdemeanor charges: driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, involving an accident.
He could also be charged with vehicular manslaughter at a later date.
Downs has been convicted of driving while intoxicated in the past, according to court documents. Earlier this month, he was sentenced to two years of supervised probation for a DWI conviction on Oct. 5, 2007.
He was released from the Boone County Jail on $11,000 bond with the caveat that he not operate a motor vehicle.
His court arraignment is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. next Wednesday.
Fulhage, 61, was an MU Extension professor and agricultural engineer.
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