Wichita driver in deadly DUI crash had double the legal limit of alcohol in his blood

A man charged with killing a Wichita woman in a drunk-driving crash last year had more than double the legal limit of alcohol in his blood, according to a police document.

Jeremy Deshawn Crowder had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.178 after the SUV he was driving ran a red light at Kellogg and Webb and slammed into another SUV on March 19, 2019, a Wichita police detective wrote in an affidavit. A passenger in the other vehicle died.

Crowder is charged in Sedgwick County District Court with involuntary manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol or drugs and two counts of aggravated battery from a DUI crash that caused bodily harm. He has pleaded not guilty.

A judge released the affidavit detailing the police investigation on Wednesday.

Emergency crews were first called at around 10:52 p.m. on March 19 to an injury accident at the Kellogg and Webb intersection. Investigators determined a white 2003 GMC Yukon Denali was southbound on Webb when it collided with the driver’s side of a black Honda CR-V that had been eastbound on Kellogg.

Before the driver of the Honda became too disoriented and confused to remember details of the incident, he told police that he had gone to the airport to pick up his neighbors, Yvonne Recchio and her husband. The driver of the Honda was then taken to Wesley Medical Center, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and a sprained wrist.

Recchio was a backseat passenger in the Honda CR-V. The 57-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:08 p.m. An autopsy determined she died from multiple blunt force injuries, and listed her death as accidental.

Her husband was the one who called 911, and he told police that their neighbor had a green light when they entered the intersection. His chest and back were hurting, and he was taken to a hospital.

He was still in pain after being released from the hospital and went to his personal doctor, where he was diagnosed with two broken ribs. He also went to a specialist, who diagnosed him with two thoracic disc hernations, a spinal injury.

Crowder, who was 35 years old at the time, told police he was the driver and owner of the GMC. He said he had a green light as he approached the intersection, but it turned red when he got to the intersection. He estimated he was driving 45 mph.

The officers could smell alcohol when talking with Crowder, he had bloodshot and watery eyes and he was processing slowly. He also told police that he had drunk alcohol at home before driving.

Crowder failed two of three field sobriety tests and was one point away from failing the one he passed. He refused to submit a blood test, so officers obtained a search warrant for his blood. The blood was taken at 1:39 a.m. and 1:57 a.m. at Wesley Medical Center. Testing at the forensic science center showed his blood alcohol concentration was 0.178.

It is unclear in the affidavit if the BAC was the level measured when the blood samples were taken more than two and a half hours after the crash, or if calculations determined the BAC at the time of the crash.

It is illegal to drive in Kansas with a BAC of 0.08 or above.

Since being charged in August, Crowder has twice had his bond revoked because he continued to drink alcohol in violation of the conditions of his bond, according to court records.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 3:40 PM.