Bond denied for woman charged in death of bicyclist in Gravois Park neighborhood
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - A woman has been criminally charged in the hit-and-run death of a bicyclist in the Gravois Park neighborhood.
St. Louis prosecutors on Sunday charged 29-year-old Tamarris L. Buckner with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a class D felony, in the death of Jason Lewis, 27, of St. Peters.
Buckner was booked at the St. Louis City Justice Center late Saturday. At a court hearing on Monday, a St. Louis judge denied her bond. First Alert 4 witnessed an emotional Buckner in the courtroom on Monday, where she cried as the judge told her she would not be able to go home to her two children.
Lewis’ mother wrote a victim impact statement, which was read in court. His mother wrote that if Buckner had stayed at the scene, her son may have survived. The victim impact statement also asked people to consider what if it was their child, and requested the judge deny bond for Buckner.
According to earlier St. Louis Metropolitan Police reports, the crash happened around 7:50 p.m. on April 1 near the intersection of Gravois and Bamberger. Lewis was riding westbound in the bike lane when he crossed Gravois at an area without a crosswalk or signal.
Police said Lewis was then struck by an SUV that fled the scene. He landed on the westbound lane of Gravois and was struck by three other vehicles, police said. Two of the drivers stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation.
Lewis was transported to a hospital, where he died, police said.
Police circulated photos of the suspect vehicle, a Ford Edge SUV with a red auto dealer placard for a rear license plate. Police later interviewed Buckner, and say she denied being involved in the crash, according to charges filed Sunday.
However, a tracker placed by the auto dealer on the SUV showed she was at the scene of the fatal crash, the charges state. The charging documents also state that Buckner itted to having been drinking and smoking marijuana the day of the crash.
Court records show Buckner has prior traffic offenses in several local communities. First Alert 4 dug into her driving history, revealing she had 27 other traffic violations from 2023 to the day of the accident. Those violations ranged from not ing a vehicle, to not wearing a seatbelt, to speeding, to not stopping at a stop sign, and several others.
First Alert 4 discovered those violations ranged from St. Louis City to different municipalities across north St. Louis County and even into St. Charles.
Attorney Andrew Mundwiller said just because someone is cited, it doesn’t mean they are found guilty.
“They may not have ever been tried or she may have pled guilty to a different violation,” Mundwiller said.
In Missouri, if you get eight or more points over 18 months, your license is suspended.
If you get 12 or more points in a year, your license will be revoked for a year.
Buckner’s entire driving history isn’t public, but First Alert 4 found several of her citations have court dates.
“Cases can get dismissed, can get agreed to a lower citation or fine or sometimes cases don’t get tried. Even if the citation is issued, the prosecutor may not necessarily file the charge. For those that are actually filed, they have to go through a disposition before they would assess the points on her license,” Mundwiller said.
Buckner’s next bond hearing is set for April 14 at 1 p.m. and her preliminary hearing is set for May 5 at 10 a.m.
Lewis is described by his loved ones as someone who loved the outdoors and landscaping, loved to grill and was a kind, generous person to those he loved.
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