By Moses Leos III
A man who lost control of his Chevrolet Corvette late Thursday was arrested after colliding with the wall of the Stepping Stone School in Kyle.
The driver, Steven Williams, 38, was arrested and charged with Duty on Striking Fixture or Highway, a class B misdemeanor. He was released from the Hays County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
According to a Kyle Police Department accident report, the incident occurred at the 4600 block of Radcliffe Lane at approximately 11:34 p.m. on Thursday night. No one was in the structure at the time of the accident.
Officers were initially advised of a vehicle colliding with the northern wall of the Stepping Stone school building. The vehicle was later found to be a 2002 red Chevrolet Corvette, owned by Williams.
In an email sent to the Hays Free Press, Plum Creek resident Angie Mensing said she heard a “high-performance engine revving” and the squeal of peeling out tires near her home. She said the sounds were heard speeding down the alleyway between Hutton and Fairway Drive, then down Fairway.
Officers were in route to the accident, the Kyle Dispatch Center received a phone call from a man claiming the vehicle involved in the wreck was stolen.
According to a KPD offense report, when officers arrived, they saw a man walking toward them along Fairway. The man, later identified as Williams, approached officers and advised that his car was stolen.
However, after talking with police, Williams admitted he was the driver and the sole occupant. He admitted to losing control of his car during the time of the crash. It was later determined that speed and consumption of alcohol were contributing factors. It is unknown how fast Williams was going at the time.
Kyle Police placed Williams under arrest, charging him with Duty on Striking a Fixture or Highway.
According to the Texas Transportation Code, section 550.025, the operator of vehicle involved in an accident that damages fixtures or landscaping on a highway must take steps to locate and notify the person in charge of the property. They must also report the accident.
Any damage totaling less than $200 is considered a Class C misdemeanor. Damages of more than $200 considered a Class B misdemeanor.
Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said Williams would not face any additional charges. However, his fleeing the scene was cause for arrest.
“When you hit a fixed object, you are required to give certain pieces of information,” Barnett said. “He didn’t stay at the scene to do that, so that’s what got him the charge. Had he stayed [at the scene], it’s possible he could have avoided the charges.”
According to the police report, the building sustained “moderate damage.” The owner of the building was notified, but the building wasn’t released until the Kyle Fire Department secured the building.
KFD was notified of a strong odor of natural gas around the structure. The building was later cleared early Friday morning.
Shannon Uehling, Director of Marketing and Communications at Stepping Stone School, said the school is still calculating the damage at this time.
It required the school to close on Friday. A total of 180 children attend Stepping Stone School in Kyle.
“We’re just happy that no one was hurt in the incident, and that we were able to get back open as quickly as we were,” Uehling said.
