A 22-year-old Mount Pleasant woman is facing a homicide charge after her boyfriend died from injuries he suffered when she allegedly ran him over during an argument on a Racine street early Sunday morning. Adasia Jones was formally charged Monday with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle in the death of 26-year-old Darius Allen, who was struck near Hubbard and Wisconsin streets around 3 a.m.
Racine police investigated a vehicle-pedestrian collision near Hubbard and Wisconsin streets. The station reports that Allen and Jones had been arguing before Allen jumped onto the hood of her vehicle, after which Jones drove off and Allen fell from the car. Police allege Jones then returned moments later and ran him over.
The 911 call that first brought officers to the scene came from a neighbor who reported that his neighbor had been run over by his girlfriend and was lying motionless in the street, according to CBS 58, which places the incident in the 500 block of Hubbard Street near Wisconsin Street. Allen was found in the roadway and transported to a hospital, where he later died, per the WTMJ report. Police were notified around 7 a.m. that Allen had died.
Jones's Account to Investigators
Jones was arrested, with police finding she was under the influence of intoxicants at the time, the station's report states. She was charged with homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle after Allen died.
The criminal complaint, as reported by WGTD, tells a different side of the confrontation. Jones told investigators that Allen had tried to choke her before jumping onto the hood of her vehicle to keep her from driving away — an account that raises questions about how the physical altercation began even as prosecutors pursue a charge that does not hinge on intent.
Court Appearance and Bond Conditions
Jones made her initial appearance in Racine County Circuit Court on Monday. Her bond was set, per the WTMJ report.
Under Wisconsin Statute § 940.09(1), homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle is a Class D felony carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, up to a $100,000 fine, and a mandatory minimum of 5 years of initial confinement upon conviction, according to the Van Severen Law Office. Notably, the restricted-controlled-substance subsection functions as a strict liability offense based on the presence of a detectable restricted substance, even without observable impairment, according to Chirafisi Anderson S.C. If Jones has any prior OWI, prohibited-alcohol-concentration, or refusal conviction, the charge could escalate from a Class D felony to a Class C felony, raising the maximum prison term from 25 to 40 years, per the Van Severen Law Office.
A Violent Weekend in Racine
Allen's death came amid a deadly stretch for Racine, where police were simultaneously investigating the fatal shooting of 27-year-old former local basketball star Koreem Ozier near 12th Street and South Memorial Drive, also on Sunday, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. The overlapping investigations underscore the strain placed on local investigators during a single violent weekend.
