A Poplar Bluff man appeared in court Tuesday after his recent indictment on charges stemming from a February hit-and-run crash that killed a local woman.
Zack Davis, 24, appeared before Presiding Circuit Judge Michael Pritchett for arraignment on the indictment. It charges him with the Class C felony of first-degree involuntary manslaughter and the Class E felonies of tampering with physical evidence and leaving the scene of an accident.
Davis is charged in connection with a Feb. 4 crash on Highway 53 that left Wendy L. Dumas, 23, dead.
“A Butler County grand jury indicted him,” said Butler County Prosecuting Attorney Kacey Proctor, who indicated Davis’ original case in which he was charged with leaving the scene of an accident has been dismissed.
“The indictment arises from the same set of facts as the original case; it only adds the charge of involuntary manslaughter,” as well as tampering with physical evidence, Proctor explained.
The indictment alleges Davis “recklessly caused the death of Wendy Dumas by striking her with his vehicle.”
During his court appearance Tuesday, Davis waived arraignment and was ordered to appear at 9 a.m. Sept. 17 for a plea or trial setting in his case. He continues to be held without bond in the Butler County jail.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol was called to investigate a leaving the scene accident involving a pedestrian at 7:46 p.m. Feb. 4 on Highway 53 at County Road 306, according to the probable-cause statement that was filed in Davis’ original case.
Prior to that call, the patrol had received a call regarding a suspected careless and imprudent driver on Highway 53, south of the crash location, Cpl. J.T. Wilson wrote in his probable-cause statement.
When Trooper Chance Berry arrived on the scene, Wilson said, he was contacted Poplar Bluff Police patrolman T.J. Akers who reported having the suspect vehicle’s license plate, which had fallen off at the time of the crash.
Wilson said Akers further reported Dumas already was in an ambulance. She subsequently would be taken to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 9:55 p.m. by a doctor there.
Berry, according to Wilson, ran the plate’s registration and found it came back to Davis.
Wilson said Berry spoke with a bystander who saw the aftermath of the crash.
“The witness stated he heard the crash and went outside his shop and saw a white, four-door passenger car leaving the scene and turning north onto County Road 605,” Wilson said.
The witness, he said, further reported he got in his vehicle, drove down County Road 605 and saw it pull into a residence belonging to Davis’ mother.
“The witness observed a white male removing the rear license plate from a white passenger car,” Wilson said.
Another bystander, Wilson said, reported hearing a loud noise while inside his shop building at the scene of the crash.
“The witness stated he went outside and observed a white passenger car with front-end damage driving near his shop building,” Wilson said. “The witness identified the driver of the vehicle as Zack Davis,” someone he had known for years and saw through the window.
Wilson said the witness later identified Davis through a photographic lineup.
“According to evidence on the roadway and surveillance footage, the white passenger vehicle was traveling northbound, crossed the entire roadway, ran off the left side of the roadway and struck Dumas,” Wilson said. Dumas had been walking on the southbound shoulder.
Wilson said the vehicle then ran into the ditch before crossing County Road 306.
“The vehicle drove through a parking lot before returning to Missouri 53,” Wilson said.
On Feb. 6, Wilson said, a witness called Troop E and reported the vehicle was parked on his or her property on County Road 605, north of the crash location. The vehicle reportedly appeared to have been involved in a crash.
“The vehicle was concealed behind a private residence next to a trash pile” and was not visible from the county road, Wilson said.
Trooper Lee Hughes responded and believed the vehicle to be the same one involved in the earlier crash, Wilson said. The car’s rear license plate had been removed, and it had damage consistent with impacting a pedestrian.
Wilson said the car was towed to a secure location.
“The vehicle had damage to the right, front portion of the car and the windshield,” Wilson said.
A search warrant subsequently was applied for and granted.
In executing the search warrant, Wilson said, Davis’ identification was found in the car’s center console. The car also reportedly was processed for evidence at that time.
Authorities were unable to find Davis the night of the crash. He was described as a “person of interest” in the investigation.
“Investigators conducted numerous interviews in an effort to locate Davis,” Wilson said.
A warrant, he said, was obtained for Davis’ cellphone, which revealed it had been turned off on Feb. 5.
Wilson said investigators received information on Feb. 18 that Davis was in Piggott, Ark., and in a new gray Chevrolet Impala.
Davis was taken into custody at 4:30 a.m. Feb. 19 by the Piggott Police Department, Wilson said.
He was arrested on a warrant for parole violation, having pleaded guilty to the Class C felony of possession of a controlled substance through Butler County. He was sentenced to five years in the Missouri Department in October 2016 after being found in violation of his probation.
During an interview at the Clay County Sheriff’s Department, “Davis admitted to driving the 1999 Oldsmobile Alero on Feb. 4” during the nighttime hours.
“Davis stated, ‘I don’t know if I blacked out or fell asleep. I didn’t know what I hit,’” Wilson said.
Davis, he said, further reported he thought he hit a mailbox and left the scene because he was on parole.
“He stated he stopped at his mother’s house on County Road 605 and observed a vehicle in which he thought was following him,” Wilson said. “He then continued south on County Road 605 and left his vehicle where it later was located by investigators.
“Davis said he did not know he struck a person until Feb. 5, 2018.”