Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard says a 54-year-old Centralia woman has been arrested for aggravated DUI involving death after allegedly running over her husband Monday night in the Dollar General parking lot in Dix.
Melissa Howes was taken to the Jefferson County Jail. Her husband, 49-year-old Jeffrey Howes of Centralia, was pronounced dead in the emergency room of SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon after attempts to restore his breathing on the scene.
Initial information from Jefferson Fire indicates a sheriff’s deputy and bystander first on the scene were able to jack up the car and get the vehicle off the victim. Howes was in cardiac arrest and CPR was initiated by Jefferson Fire with United Medical Response later joining the effort.
While an Air Evac Helicopter was called, Howes was eventually transported by ground ambulance to SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department is handling the crash with the assistance of a State Police Accident Reconstructionist. No details have been released on how the accident occurred.
Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse says an autopsy has been scheduled for ten Thursday morning to determine the cause of Jeffrey Howes’ death.
The incident was reported at 8:05 Monday night.
