Charges: Driver was kissing girlfriend while drunk, high when he crashed and killed her in Elk River

A man was driving drunk and high and kissing his girlfriend when he collided with another vehicle in Elk River and killed his passenger, according to charges.

Chase Allen Bosshardt, 32, of Toquerville in southwestern Utah, was charged Wednesday in Sherburne County District Court with one count of criminal vehicular homicide and three counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the crash about 3:40 p.m. July 19 that killed 36-year-old Ashley Cheyenne Jones, of Mountain Ranch, Calif.

Bosshardt suffered noncritical injuries in the collision and was being treated at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids. He’ll appear in court upon his release. Court records do not list an attorney for him.

Three people in the other vehicle survived their injuries from the crash at the intersection of Hwy. 10 and Gary Street and also were treated at Mercy Hospital, according to the State Patrol.

According to the criminal complaint and the patrol:

The driver of a BMW SUV told a state trooper at the scene that he was heading east on Hwy. 10 in the left lane and that a compact Kia SUV turned left in front of him toward southbound Gary Street. The BMW driver said he hit the brakes but could not avoid hitting the smaller SUV.

A driver who saw the collision said the Kia crossed the median of Hwy. 10 into the path of the BMW and “was traveling so fast that it was bouncing as it went through dips in the road,” the charges read.

While at the hospital, Bosshardt told a trooper he had been at McCoy’s Irish Pub in Elk River with Jones. He said he had one “tall” beer and nothing to eat. He added that he had been drinking the night before until 6 a.m.

Bosshardt added that he and Jones “had been making out in the vehicle before the crash occurred,” and he believed she did not have on her seat belt.

The trooper gave Bosshardt a preliminary breath test, and “a weak” exhale from him measured his blood alcohol content at 0.10%, above the legal limit for driving in Minnesota. Bosshardt also acknowledged having smoked marijuana the night before. The trooper saw green stains on Bosshardt’s tongue, bolstering the contention that he was under the influence of the drug at the time of the crash.

A staff member at McCoy’s told a trooper that Bosshardt drank two tall beers, a smaller beer and a mixed drink.