Northeast News
Jan. 6, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — The driver of a New Year’s Day wreck along Independence Avenue has been charged with multiple felonies.

In a press release from Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, Jestin L. Waterhouse, 35, has been charged with second-degree assault, a class C felony, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident, a class D felony.

According to court records, about three hours into the new year, Kansas City police were dispatched to Independence and Elmwood Avenues for a reported injury from a car accident. Upon arrival, the officers found a vehicle that had jumped a curb and plowed into a building along Independence Avenue, 4601 Independence Ave., as well as a nearby utility police. The woman passenger in the vehicle was unconscious and transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries. The passenger remains in critical condition.

Several witnesses told police that the driver — described as a white male with very short, light colored hair, approximately 5’2″ to 5’6″ — exited the vehicle following the crash and walked away. After police found a photo of the defendant, a witness identified him as the driver.

Prosecutors have requested a bond of $250,000/10 percent.