OLATHE, Kan. — The man accused of causing a three-vehicle crash that killed a child in November 2015 pleaded guilty to his charges on Friday, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe said.
Boyd Chism, 41, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated battery.
The crash Chism pleaded guilty to causing took the life of 17-month-old Addilynn Poole and seriously injured another child.
A Johnson County Sheriff’s Deputy says at 2:45 p.m., on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015 a red sedan was seen driving at a high rate of speed east on W 175th Street in an area just east of Gardner, Kan.
According to investigators, the deputy tried to stop the driver, Boyd Chism, but Chism accelerated and continued heading east.
Investigators say the deputy decided not to pursue Chism because of public safety concerns. The deputy then put out a description of the vehicle.
Officers say they received more calls about the red sedan as it traveled east on W. 175th Street, including a call to report that it collided with another vehicle along the street but continued to flee along W. 175th Street.
The red sedan Chism was driving then collided with a silver passenger vehicle at the intersection of W. 175th Street and Pflumm Road and caused the silver vehicle to crash into a white pickup truck.
Police say, Addilynn, her parents Heather and Ryan Poole, and Heather’s eight-year-old adopted brother, Harry Mock were in the family’s car apparently waiting to turn at a traffic light when the crash happened.
Paramedics rushed Heather to the hospital with neck and back injuries
Chism was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of involuntary manslaughter.
In November, judge Brenda Cameron called Gregory Zerr, who was one of the drivers involved in the three-vehicle crash, cowardly and selfish and sentenced him to 60 days of shock time behind bars.
Boyd Chism pleaded guilty in case of 17 mo old child death and 9 yr old severely injured in accident 175th/Pflumm on 11/7/15. 15CR2752
— Johnson County KS DA (@JohnsonCoDA) March 3, 2017
