Prosecutors Add Falsification Charge in Petersburg Fatal 2016 Crash

Location of crash in downtown Petersburg. Image-Google Maps
Location of crash in downtown Petersburg. Image-Google Maps

Court documents in the murder/manslaughter case engulfing 24-year-old William Christopher Allen have revealed the state’s grounds for the charges.

Allen, who is facing two counts of Murder II, two counts of Manslaughter, and a count of Assault, had an additional count of Misdemeanor Unsworn Falsification leveled against him on July 2oth, the  day of his arraignment for not disclosing his history of seizures when applying for a driver’s license.

Allen has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The state’s charges are based on the fact that Allen has a history of seizures dating back to at least November of 2011. His seizures had been documented in Idaho, and continued in Petersburg. Allen was on anti-seizure medication and should not have been behind the wheel, the state claims.

Allen was working for the Petersburg Parks and Recreation when the seizure occurred that resulted in the deaths of Molly Parks and Marie Giesbrecht, who were in the back of the Parks and Recreation van.

According to court documents, Allen had been warned that he should not be driving by doctors, and those doctors also contacted Allen’s supervisors with the same message. Three months before the fatal incident, Allen’s supervisors adopted a plan that would have a second person with Allen at all times.

Allen was on the clock when he and three others were out in a parks and recreation van preparing for the Independence Day celebration.

Court documents say that Allen was driving through downtown Petersburg when he began having a seizure. Allen “stared straight forward and did not respond to passengers who were yelling at him to slow down. His eventual speed was estimated at 52 mph in a 30 mph zone. Allen was headed toward a cement retaining wall with his hands still gripping the wheel when he suddenly slumped over into the passenger area. The van veered sharply to the right, vaulting over a guardrail and crashing upside down into an embankment. The two back seat passengers were killed but the front seat passenger was propelled into the wheel well space below the front dashboard. The upper half of the van was crushed to the bottom of the window openings.”

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Allen and his wife had been living with his parents in Fairbanks until his arrest.

His bail remains at $50,000. His next court date is August 1st, when his bail review takes place. No trial date has been set.