Park Tavern reopens after deadly crash
Park Tavern reopening Wednesday; suspect due in court
The Park Tavern in St. Louis Park is set to reopen at noon on Wednesday, days after an alleged drunk driver plowed through the patio, killing two people and injuring several others. The suspect, Steven Bailey, is due in court Wednesday afternoon after being charged on Tuesday.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Park Tavern in St. Louis Park reopened on Wednesday, days after an alleged drunk driver plowed into the patio, killing two people and injuring several others.
What we know
Park Tavern posted on social media on Tuesday that it would reopen at noon on Wednesday.
"We request your patience and kindness as we move forward in the coming days and weeks," the post reads. "We look forward to serving our community and seeing friendly faces again. We also want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support for our staff and victims during this difficult time."
What happened
According to the criminal complaint, Steven Frane Bailey, 56, of St. Louis Park, was drunk when he crashed into the patio of the restaurant. He is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection to the crash.
Police said surveillance video showed Bailey driving his vehicle into the parking lot just after 8 p.m. According to the complaint, Bailey tried to back into a parking spot but struck another car. Bailey then pulled out of the spot and accelerated into the patio area outside the restaurant.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says Bailey took a breath test after the crash, testing four times the legal limit with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.325. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a blood-alcohol level between 0.30 and 0.40 puts you at risk for alcohol poisoning and losing consciousness. The University of Toledo lists 0.31 and above as the range for a potential coma.
According to the complaint, officers heard Bailey on the phone saying he "hit the gas instead of the brake and went right through a thing… I'm probably going to jail."
When told he was being arrested, Bailey said: "You got to be kidding me" and "my life's pretty much f---ed now, isn't it?"
Bailey has five previous drunken driving convictions on his driving record, court records show.
Who are the victims?
Two people were killed in the crash: Park Tavern server Kristina Folkerts and Methodist Hospital employee Gabe Harvey.
Folkerts was working at the time she was killed, while Harvey was out with coworkers celebrating someone's last day at Methodist.
At least nine people were also injured in the crash, including four of Harvey's coworkers, who have been identified as Theo Larson, Tegan D’Albani, Laura Knutsen and Eric Schefers.
The City of St. Louis Park is asking others who were injured in the crash to contact police.
How to help the victims
Online fundraisers have been created to support the families of both Folkerts and Harvey.
Other GoFundMe pages have been set up to help some of the others injured in the crash.
A memorial for all the victims of the crash has also been erected outside Park Tavern.