A 21-year-old woman is facing two felony charges following a Friday morning incident near St. David's Medical Center, where she allegedly drove drunk and ran her jeep over a man on a moped, thinking he was "roadkill" or a "possum."
According to Austin police, they received a call around 3:07 a.m. stating that a man on a moped was hit and killed at Red River Street near Luther Lane. The man was declared dead 17 minutes later. On Monday, the victim was identified as Timothy Boykin, 46.
Police said they followed the fluid trail, scrape marks and accident debris to a location less than a half mile away from the crash site. There, police said they found a silver Jeep Wrangler with a maroon moped lodged underneath it; blood splatter was also found on the front end of the Jeep.
At 3:21 a.m., police located the driver of the Jeep, Olivia Gruwell, 21, at her home.
According to the arrest affidavit, Gruwell admitted to police that she had drunk six to nine mixed alcoholic beverages, including three long island iced teas at three different Downtown bars, before she drove herself home. She also told officers that she had felt a bump in the road on the way home but thought it was merely "roadkill" or some kind of animal. She told officers she did not stop to check what she ran over, according to the affidavit.
Police said they determined Gruwell was, in fact, intoxicated after noticing her slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol; she also displayed several clues during the field sobriety test.
Through further investigation, police said they came to the conclusion that while Gruwell was traveling northbound on Red River Street, she failed to "maintain an assured clear distance," which caused her to strike the back of the victim's moped from behind, according to the arrest affidavit.
Gruwell is charged with intoxication manslaughter and failing to stop and render aid: both second-degree felonies. As of Monday, Feb. 12, she's in the Travis County Jail with a bond set at $175,000.
