St. Paul man charged with criminal vehicular homicide after passenger dies
Williams, 22, had previously faced four counts of criminal vehicular operation for allegedly consuming several alcoholic beverages Friday afternoon and getting behind the wheel of a Honda CRV.
He is now charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide, according to the criminal complaint amended Wednesday. One of the charges is for operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner. The second relates to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Williams still faces two counts of criminal vehicular operation.
He was arrested last Friday after officers arrived at the crash at
He was slurring and smelled of alcohol, the complaint said. His four passengers remained trapped inside his vehicle.
A preliminary breath test indicated his blood-alcohol level was 0.118, legal documents say. The results of a blood test are pending. The legal limit to drive in
Williams told police he was traveling eastbound on
He said he overcorrected as he switched back to his lane and ended up striking a power pole on the Green Line tracks.
Video footage obtained from Metro Transit's surveillance system shows Williams' vehicle swerving and changing lanes on
Paramedics took front-seat passenger
Trnka, 22, and Rodriguez, 20, have been released from the hospital.
Her injuries necessitated surgery for a fractured skull and a brain-bleed over the weekend, according to the complaint.
Williams also was injured, but has since been released from the hospital and is being held in the
He first claimed to police at the scene that he only had a glass or two of hard liquor before the accident, but later admitted to consuming "several glasses," the complaint said.
Williams' vehicle landed between the tracks after the crash, leading to light-rail service being disrupted for several hours.
His criminal record includes a petty misdemeanor theft conviction in 2016 and two minor traffic violations. He was charged in January with driving without insurance and possession of a small amount of marijuana. That case is still pending.
No attorney was listed for Williams in court records and his family could not be immediately reached for comment.
His next court appearance is scheduled for
Perry -- who came from a large extended family -- was remembered by loved ones Tuesday as a talented basketball player and artist who loved music and dancing. He went to
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