The driver of a vehicle that slammed into a skilled nursing facility in Mattoon told authorities he was unconscious at the time and had smoked "a couple hitters" of cannabis a few hours prior, according to an affidavit filed in court.
Curtis Meadows, 54, was arrested after the Nissan Pathfinder he was driving smashed into a room at Odd Fellow Rebekah Home on Lafayette Avenue Friday. The crash killed Sharon Harpster, 82, and left another woman, who was found pinned underneath a bed and in front of the vehicle, in critical condition.
The Pathfinder had turned southbound onto South Logan Street and travaled about 335 yards in a mostly straight line before crashing into the building; it traveled another 20 feet inside the building, causing massive structural and interior damage, according to the affidavit.
Meadows faces charges of Aggravated DUI and Reckless Homicide and has been denied pretrial release, accoridng to court records.
Ms. Harpster died just one day after losing her husband of 64 years, according to her obituary.
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