An Iowa man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in a car crash causing the death of his passenger in 2015.
Paul Turner, 39, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been charged with one count in the Oct. 24, 2015 incident, where Turner was found to be driving under the influence of marijuana. The warrant for Turner’s arrest was served Thursday, June 7, although Turner is not currently in custody.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol report, police responded to a single-vehicle crash on the ramp from Highway D to Interstate 435. Turner told police he had picked up his passenger at the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City and was taking her home. He said she grabbed the steering wheel and he lost control of the vehicle, running into a ditch. The 34-year-old passenger was found dead outside of the vehicle in more than a foot of standing water.
Turner reportedly told police he must have blacked out, as he didn’t remember what happened or how he’d gotten out of the vehicle. He denied drinking and took a breath test, which confirmed this. Turner also denied the use of any marijuana, although the officer reported he could smell it. Turner refused to give a blood sample, but police later that night obtained both a warrant and a sample. The blood sample tested positive for the THC present in marijuana.