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Linn Creek man faces DWI charges following crash that killed woman in Camden County

File photo
KMIZ
File photo

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Linn Creek man faces multiple DWI charges following a Monday crash that led to the death of a woman in Camden County.

Steven Vonderschmidt, 51, was charged with DWI - causing the death of another and DWI - causing personal injury. A $150,000 bond was set, according to Casenet. A court date has not been listed.

Susan Graham, 73, of Arcola, Missouri, was killed Monday afternoon on U.S. 54 in Camden County. The patrol says Graham was riding in a Ford pickup truck going westbound when a GMC truck, driven by Vonderschmidt, crossed the center line and collided with the Ford.

The Ford’s driver, Larry Graham, 75, of Arcola, suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital. Susan Graham was pronounced dead at the hospital, the patrol says.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper met Vonderschmidt in the emergency room at Lake Regional Hospital, according to the probable cause statement. Vonderschmidt was on his back on a gurney and talked with the trooper.

“I left my son’s house and was going to go shoot guns when I was in an accident,” Vonderschmidt told the trooper, according to the probable cause statement.

Vonderschmidt’s speech was slurred and mumbled, according to the statement. He was not able to open his right eye due to injuries, but his left eye was “bloodshot and glassy,” according to the statement. The trooper claimed he smelled alcohol.

Vonderschmidt allegedly told the trooper that he “had one beer at about 1:30 p.m.”

Two breath tests were conducted. The first did not produce a result, the second test indicated his blood-alcohol content was at .151, nearly double the legal limit in Missouri.

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