SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man is being charged with a misdemeanor count of DWI from an incident that occurred almost a year after he was connected to a crash that killed two people.
Gary Charles Calhoun Jr., 65, of Springfield, is charged with five counts from two separate DWI incidents:
From Aug. 27, 2021:
- DWI resulting in death of two or more people, a felony.
- Two counts of DWI resulting in the death of another not a passenger, both felonies.
- DWI resulting in physical injury, a felony.
From July 30, 2022:
- DWI, a misdemeanor.
July 30, 2022
In July of 2022, a Springfield Public Department officer conducted a traffic stop on South Stewart Avenue in which they pulled over a Nissan Frontier driven by Calhoun. He showed signs of impairment, including slurred speech and driving habits indicative of a DWI.
The officer searched Calhoun’s vehicle and a small amount of marijuana, an empty baggy with white crystal residue, three glass pipes with crystal residue, a marijuana pipe, and a homemade aluminum foil marijuana pipe.
According to court documents, Calhoun tested negative for alcohol but blood results showed that he had methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system.
Aug. 27, 2021
Nearly a year earlier, Calhoun was involved in another DWI crash at the intersection of East Cherry Street and South Glenstone Avenue.
In this crash, Calhoun was allegedly driving northbound on Glenstone Avenue when he crossed the center line and collided with a 2013 Kia Soul driven by Amber Kendall. Kendall’s vehicle then collided with a 2017 Western Star tractor-trailer unit driven by Felix Gonzalez.
Kendall was taken to a hospital and later died from her injuries. Gonzalez died at the scene.
Calhoun had a passenger in the Nissan with him who told officers that he believed Calhoun passed out while driving and ran a red light. After being treated for injuries, the passenger said that Calhoun was “driving crazy.”
Calhoun’s blood sample tested positive for methamphetamine.
Calhoun was previously involved in a crash where the reporting party said he rear-ended her while she was stopped at a red light. In yet another traffic stop, Calhoun was stopped for traffic violations and the subsequent search uncovered drugs and paraphernalia.
A warrant was requested for Calhoun’s arrest on Jan. 24. However, on Jan. 25, a Greene County judge declined the request:
“The court declines to issue a warrant. The court notes the dates of the alleged offenses, August 27, 2021 and July 20, 2022. The charges in this case were not filed until January 24, 2023. It is disingenuous for the state now to say [defendant] is such a danger to the community. Criminal summons to issue.”
Greene County Courthouse
In October of 2021, Kendall’s mother sued Calhoun and his insurance company for wrongful death. Calhoun was ordered to pay $250,000 in the settlement in January of 2022.
In April of 2022, Calhoun and his insurance company were sued for the wrongful death of Gonzales and the parties reached an unknown settlement.
