Drugs found in vehicle after head-on collision on Hwy. 86
by Kyle Troutman

An Exeter man is facing four felonies and two misdemeanors relating to the death of an Arkansas man after a wreck on Feb. 1 on Highway 86, about four miles west of Carr Lane.
Steven Fare, 59, of Exeter, is charged with DWI-death of another not a passenger, second-degree assault, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor careless and imprudent driving and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a probable cause statement filed by Cpl. Joel Givens, with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the wreck occurred at about 4:09 p.m.
According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Fare was driving a 015 Ford F-350 westbound when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck a 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer, being driven by John Rash, 58, of Fayetteville, Ark.
Givens said two witnesses on the scene said Fare had crossed the center line and ran them off the road before hitting the Trailblazer head-on. Both said Fare allegedly appeared to be messing with his phone.
Givens spoke to Fare, then administered a breathalyzer test, which was negative for alcohol. Givens said Fare appeared to be dazed, and when asked what happened, said he did not know and asked where he was.
Rash was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:20 p.m. by Emergency Medical Technician Scott Jenkins, and a passenger in the vehicle, Imelda Rash, 63, of Fayetteville, Ark., suffered serious injuries. Imelda Rash and Fare were both flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield for medical care.
Givens said consent was given by Fare to search the vehicle and download Electronic Data Recorder information. During a search, Givens allegedly found approximately 2 grams of methamphetamine, 43 oxycodone pills and a meth smoking pipe. he said the pill bottle had Fare's name on it, but the prescription was for 4 pills, and the bottle contained 43 and from three different batches.
The recorder information allegedly showed Fare was traveling at 58 miles per hour, and there was no brake or steering input just before the impact or during the crash.
Givens said based on that information and the contents of the vehicle, he believed Fare was allegedly under the influence at the time of the wreck. And, a subpoena for Fare's toxicology report from Mercy allegedly revealed Fare had amphetamines, marijuana and oxycodone in his system.
Fare is being held in the Barry County jail on a cash-only bond of $100,000. He as been arraigned, and a disposition hearing is set for March 5 at 8:30 a.m. in the courtroom of Judge Robert Foulke.
Fare was involved in another wreck that led to criminal charges on Aug. 12, 2018. In that instance, he was driving a 2002 Harley Davidson Road King that went off the roadway on Highway 86, east of Farm Road 1250. He was initially charged with misdemeanor driving without a valid license, misdemeanor careless and imprudent driving and failure to wear protective gear on a motorcycle. He pleaded guilty to he careless and imprudent driving charge and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation.