Incident: August 26, 2026, North Kansas City, Missouri. Reported by the Missouri State Highway Patrol the same day. Charges announced August 27.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper was working a traffic stop around midnight Wednesday on the inside shoulder of northbound Interstate 35, just north of Missouri Route 210 in Clay County.
The driver had been stopped for speeding — 96 mph in a 55 — and the trooper was working a driving-while-intoxicated arrest. She got out of the patrol car, and the trooper was securing her a second time when a passing Ford Focus left the roadway and struck him.
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The trooper was taken to an area hospital in serious condition and went into surgery. The Patrol listed him serious but stable Wednesday morning. He remains hospitalized. A Patrol spokesperson said he is conscious and in good spirits and that the road to recovery will be extensive. The trooper’s name and years of service have not been released.
Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson announced charges Thursday, August 27. Erika Guerrero-Chavez, 24, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with second-degree assault of a special victim. Ashton Berry, 25, of Kansas City, Missouri, is charged with second-degree assault of a special victim and possession of a controlled substance. Both are held on $200,000 bond. They were arraigned Thursday and are due back in court September 1.
Berry told investigators she had no memory of the crash and did not brake before impact. About a gram of methamphetamine and a smoking pipe were found in her vehicle. Crash data showed the vehicle was speeding and had left the roadway before impact. Berry was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Northbound I-35 was closed for several hours for a crash reconstruction and has reopened. The Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit has the case.
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