Suspect, Huggy Kindness, allegedly told investigators he was "attempting to contact God"
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. - A High Ridge, Missouri, man has been charged in a Valentine's Day collision on Highway 30 that claimed the life of a young Dittmer woman.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's probable cause statement, the crash happened around 2:25 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, at Highway 30 and Route B, just south of Cedar Hill.
The highway patrol learned that a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt was waiting in line to turn left from westbound Hwy 30 onto Route B. As the Cobalt cross the eastbound lane, a speeding 2021 Acura ILX smashed into the passenger side of the Cobalt.
Both drivers were taken to Mercy Hospital South. The MSHP crash report said the driver of the Acura was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. The report did not indicate if the Cobalt driver had been wearing one.
A witness told the highway patrol that the Acura appeared to be traveling well above the posted speed limit of 60 miles per hour and he didn't think the driver had braked.
A state trooper went to the hospital and met with the driver of the Acura, who identified himself as Huggy Smiles Kindness, 36, though court documents show an alias of Matthew E. Lindsey. The trooper confirmed Kindness' identity in the Missouri Department of Revenue's database.
Kindness allegedly told the trooper he'd been flying and was trying to get through a portal to contact God. He said he'd also been in contact with a fighter pilot who was above him.
Kindness claimed he never struck anyone with his car but admitted blowing through the red light, the highway patrol said.
A blood test revealed Kindness had a blood alcohol level of 0.00. Kindness told the trooper he suffered from manic depression, adding that he used mushrooms and acid more than a decade ago, but took THC several days prior to the crash.
The highway patrol said Kindness did not pass field sobriety tests. He was arrested at the hospital for DWI.
Meanwhile, a police corporal with the Sunset Hills Police Department contacted the highway patrol and reported that Kindness had fled a traffic stop earlier that day.
The driver of the Chevrolet, Jaden E. Martinson, was hospitalized with multiple brain injuries and cardiac arrest. She was declared brain dead on Sunday, Feb. 16, and her organs were donated. Martinson was 20.
Investigators downloaded the Acura's data recorder and learned Kindness was going between 108 and 113 miles per hour several seconds before the crash.
Kindness' urine was tested and came back with a presumptive positive for benzodiazepines and cannabinoids.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged Kindness with one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter.