Court document: Driver admits looking at phone before striking 10-year-old on scooter
FOX23 News at 9 p.m.
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — A driver told police he looked at his cellphone before striking a 10-year-old riding a scooter at Bloomfield Road and Hanover Street on Oct. 4, according to a probable cause statement.
Deandre Lamont Baylis Jr., 22, of Cape Girardeau, faces misdemeanor charges following the crash, which officers responded to about 11:48 a.m.
“Basically, came down the street, lift the phone up, lift it down, the kid was on top of my car, man,” Baylis told an officer, according to the statement. Police said he later demonstrated lifting his phone with his left hand to look at the screen.
An officer who reviewed footage from a city-owned surveillance camera said Baylis’ 2018 Nissan Altima was traveling east on Bloomfield Road as the child rode south on Hanover Street. The child did not stop at a stop sign or yield before entering the intersection, according to the statement.
The officer said the vehicle did not begin slowing until several yards past the intersection.
The child was taken by ambulance to a hospital. His mother told police he suffered a concussion, a forehead injury requiring two stitches, swelling, scraped knees and extensive bruising across his back, according to the statement. An officer reported observing bandages on the child’s head and scrapes on his knees.
Police said the Altima displayed a license plate registered to a Jeep. Baylis also told an officer the vehicle was uninsured.
According to the statement, Baylis walked away during questioning and resisted officers’ attempts to handcuff him. Additional officers helped restrain him, and police said he continued pulling away after being handcuffed and during a search.
Baylis faces charges of resisting arrest, careless and imprudent driving, operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic communication device, failure to register a motor vehicle and failure to maintain financial responsibility, according to the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Police previously reported that Baylis was being held on a $5,000 cash-only bond.
The charges are accusations, and Baylis is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
