When William C. Downs was involved in a collision that resulted in the death of a University of Missouri agriculture professor, he was on probation for another drunken driving offense in St. Charles County and was under a judge’s order to have an ignition interlock in his pickup.

Downs

The interlock device tests the driver’s breath for alcohol before allowing the vehicle to start.

But Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers who interviewed Downs on the day of the wreck at University Hospital found he had been using marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs before the Feb. 22 collision. None of those intoxicants is measured by the interlock device.

Downs, 33, of St. Charles was charged yesterday with involuntary manslaughter, an upgrade in criminal charges since the death four days after the Feb. 22 wreck of Charles D. Fulhage, 61, of Rocheport.

Downs had been held at the Boone County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, a Class C felony; driving while intoxicated; and operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner causing an accident. He was released from the Boone County Jail on the day of his arrest after posting $11,000 bond.

In addition to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, a class B felony, Downs now is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a class C felony. Downs heard the new charges at a hearing yesterday.

Assistant Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Stephanie Morrell said she has asked that Downs’ bond be increased, though the court has not ruled on her request.

Downs told Associate Circuit Judge Larry Bryson that he intended to hire an attorney. Bryson scheduled a counsel status hearing March 28, and a preliminary hearing has been set for April 15.

The collision occurred near the 122-mile marker of Interstate 70, just west of the Sorrels Overpass. The highway patrol said a westbound Dodge pickup driven by Downs struck the rear of a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Fulhage. The Ranger ran off the right side of the highway and overturned. Fulhage, who was wearing a seat belt, needed to be extricated from the wreckage by Boone County firefighters.

Before yesterday’s hearing, Jane Fulhage, the professor’s widow, said she hoped prosecutors would charge Downs "with something big."

"This has been devastating for us," she said.

Witnesses at the collision site told authorities Downs had been speeding and making abrupt lane changes before the wreck, according to court documents. Several people called 911 to report Downs’ driving, troopers said. Troopers noted that Downs appeared intoxicated. While he was being taken to the county jail, Downs complained of neck and back pain and was taken to University Hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, a trooper searched Downs’ vehicle and found a prescription pill identified as a generic form of Valium.

Downs pleaded guilty Feb. 7 in St. Charles County to an unrelated drunken driving offense. He was sentenced to two years’ supervised probation, 60 hours of community service and ordered to complete state substance abuse programs and use an ignition interlock device for 30 days.

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