Man charged with manslaughter in fatal scooter crash

A Springfield man was charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a fatal scooter crash in January.

Jeffrey D. Anderson, 53, was charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter and driving without a license. Police say he was driving drunk while on a motor scooter that wrecked, killing a passenger, 54-year-old Brenda Roy.

Police say that at about 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 31, the scooter was hit from behind by a pickup truck near the intersection of Boonville Avenue and Atlantic Street. Roy's head hit the truck during the crash and she later died at the hospital.

A witness told police the scooter had no working lights, and Anderson was using a hand-held flashlight as a headlight while he drove, according to a probable cause statement.

The statement says if Anderson had a working taillight, the crash may not have occurred.

Anderson was checked at the scene for signs of impairment and registered a 0.194 percent blood alcohol content during a breath test, according to the statement. The limit at which an adult is presumed to be intoxicated is 0.08 percent.

A bond recommendation document says Anderson has two prior convictions for DWI. He also has prior convictions for assault of a law enforcement officer and second-degree burglary.

He was on probation for the burglary charge at the time of the crash, the recommendation says.

Prosecutors are asking that bond be set at $50,000.

Anderson does not have an attorney listed in this case.