Sheldon, Iowa — A Sheldon man involved in a fatal ATV wreck in 2016 and facing felony charges in connection with the crash — has entered a “not guilty” plea and his trial date has been set.
According to court documents, 27-year-old Garrett Crowl is charged with two counts of homicide by vehicle. The first count is vehicular homicide related to alleged operating while intoxicated, and according to Iowa Code, is a class B felony. The other count is vehicular homicide related to alleged reckless driving, which the code says is a class C felony.
The O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office reports that about 6:50 PM on Saturday evening, July 30, 2016, they received a 911 call of a report of a 4-wheeler accident at the farm located at 3066 McKinley Avenue.
At the time, witnesses reported seeing the ATV traveling at a fairly high rate of speed when it entered a curve in the road, and Crowl lost control on the gravel and slid sideways. It appeared the 4-wheeler then rolled sideways and struck a tree, according to witnesses.
Crowl and his passenger on the ATV, 25-year-old Shaleah Donavon of Sheldon, both sustained serious injuries and were both taken to Sanford Sheldon Hospital. Donavon died at the hospital and Crowl was taken to a Sioux Falls hospital by helicopter.
Court records indicate that Crowl admitted to law enforcement that he had smoked marijuana before the crash. The records say a test of his urine indicated the presence of THC, the principal psychoactive constituent of marijuana.
A pretrial conference has been scheduled for Monday, March 12, 2018. At this point, Crowl’s trial is scheduled for Tuesday, April 17th, 2018.
