A Manhattan man accused of running a stop sign and pulling in front of a pregnant woman’s vehicle appeared for his preliminary hearing in Riley County District Court Tuesday morning and was bound over by the judge.
Ryan Routson will be arraigned on June 22 at 9:30 a.m. in the Riley County District Court in front of Judge David Stutzman. He will face counts that include involuntary manslaughter while DUI, aggravated battery while DUI along with unlawful possession of methamphetamine.
According to testimony on May 6, 2014, Routson failed to observe a stop sign at the intersection of Tuttle Creek Blvd and Tuttle Terrace around 7:30 a.m. Routson, who pulled out from Tuttle Terrace, struck a vehicle driven by a woman who was traveling west-bound on Tuttle Creek Blvd, which was traveling approximately 68 mph.
The woman, who Assistant County Attorney James Garrison requested to media not to be named, suffered minor injuries but was 22 weeks pregnant at the time of the accident and gave birth prematurely to a stillborn child late that night.
While Routson and his overturned 2002 Jeep Liberty were being attended to at the scene of the accident, emergency personnel found various drug baggies and paraphernalia, including a used syringe. Later at Via Christi hospital — then still Mercy Regional — in Manhattan, doctors found what tested to be a bag of methamphetamine in Routson’s pocket. Blood tests indicated Routson tested positive for marijuana and methamphetamine. He also tested positive for pain-killing drugs, but those were likely given by doctors during his treatment after the accident, as blood was drawn after treatment.
Routson’s defense tried to allege that it wasn’t clear if the prosecution had proof Routson was under the influence at the time of the accident, due to drug use not being tested in amounts like alcohol use. His defense also asked witnesses if there was any recollection of finding track marks — a term used for evidence of drug injection by the use of a syringe — and no witness recalled any.
The victim’s testimony was calm but she broke down into tears as she recalled the moment doctors told her the heartbeat of her unborn child had stopped after a later check-up after it was present during her initial treatment. Doctors worried the accident caused a placental abruption, which is when the baby separates from the uterus wall.
Around midnight on May 7, the victim gave birth to a stillborn child and it was found that placental abruption had occurred.
