Plea hearing set for driver charged in deadly DWI crash into Park Tavern patio
(KSTP) — The man charged with killing two people and injuring a dozen others after drunkenly crashing into a crowded patio in St. Louis Park last year is set to appear in court for a plea hearing on Wednesday.
Steven Frane Bailey, 56, previously pleaded not guilty to charges of third-degree murder, criminal vehicular homicide and criminal operation in connection with the Sept. 1 crash into Park Tavern that killed server Kristina Folkerts and Methodist Hospital ICE coordinator Gabe Harvey.
Related: Man charged in deadly crash at Park Tavern
Last week, prosecutors tacked on additional counts of criminal vehicular operation after identifying three more victims who were injured in the crash. A trial for the case was scheduled to begin on May 12.
A criminal complaint alleges Bailey’s blood alcohol content was 0.335 — more than four times the legal limit — when he drove a BMW X5 through a metal fence and plowed through the length of the packed patio, only coming to a stop after hitting rocks and a slope on the opposite end.
When officers explained to Bailey at the hospital that he was being charged with criminal vehicular homicide, he responded, “My life’s pretty much f—ed now, isn’t it?”
Court records show Bailey had five previous DWI convictions, a factor that prompted St. Louis Park lawmakers to sponsor legislation to reform Minnesota’s DWI penalties this session.