Chariton County man charged in flood death
Prosecutors charged a Chariton County man Wednesday with first-degree involuntary manslaughter after a woman died in floodwaters last week.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator wrote in a probable cause statement that James Pleasant drove west on Route M from Highway 11 on Friday morning despite barricades saying flooding had closed the road. Alicia Meyer, who was confined to her wheelchair, was in the passenger seat.
Pleasant’s vehicle was subsequently washed off the south side of the road, the statement said.
Pleasant was able to escape through the trunk of the car but Meyer was left trapped and died after the car sank, according to the probable cause statement. The patrol says Meyer’s body was found inside the submerged vehicle at about noon Tuesday.
Pleasant’s bail was set at $50,000 cash-only. He was in the Chariton County Jail on Wednesday, according to online court records.
