Driver gets probation for leaving scene of 2016 crash that hospitalized St. Louis musician

Feb. 16--ST. LOUIS -- A St. Louis woman who left the scene of a car accident that sent a St. Louis musician to the hospital was sentenced Friday to probation.

Michelle Conway, 27, of the 4500 block of Morganford Road, pleaded guilty in December to leaving the scene of an accident.

Conway's car struck Dave Grelle as he was crossing the street in the 3100 block of South Grand Boulevard on Nov. 2, 2016.

In court, Grelle said he was in the middle of the crosswalk when he was struck. Conway carried him on her hood for nearly a block before "leaving me for dead," he said. Grelle said he had spent a month in the hospital and had endured multiple surgeries and other hospitalizations.

He said he still suffered intense pain and would never run or be able to play soccer with his children. He was unable to hold his daughter after she was born, and wasn't cleared to carry her up the stairs until a month ago.

He has also been unable to work and walked with a cane and a limp in court.

Grelle said he was still pulling pieces of Conway's windshield out of his face and body a year later. He said Conway was a "real danger" to the community, citing a prior DWI.

Nearly all of those convicted of the same crime as Conway get probation, but Grelle and his supporters were seeking a conviction that would stay a public record after Conway completes that probation: to have a suspended execution of a prison sentence rather than a suspended imposition of that sentence. They did not ask for more prison time than the 130 days Conway had spent in jail.

St. Louis Circuit Judge Steven Ohmer opted to suspend the imposition, saying it would help Conway move forward and would make no difference to the permanence of the case in the criminal justice system. He warned Conway that if she violated probation, she would face years in prison.

He banned her from drinking, from bars and from neighborhoods in south St. Louis near Grelle's home. Ohmer said Conway would have to wear a bracelet that monitors any use of alcohol, would have to seek treatment and had driving restrictions.

Police found Conway through surveillance video. She told police that she thought a brick had hit her car, charging documents show.

The car had a large dent in the hood, and the windshield had to be replaced.

A friend she was meeting that night also pointed to the ambulance attending to Grelle and asked Conway if it could be from her accident; Conway told her friend it was not, the police report says.

Grelle is a keyboardist who helped found Tunespeak, "a musician-to-fan loyalty platform" that rewards fans for listening to music, viewing videos and other content and sharing that with friends, the website says.

Conway was served with a civil lawsuit filed by the Grelles against her and two insurance companies after the hearing.

___

(c)2018 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at www.stltoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.