Kansas Prosecutor Clears Mom in Deadly Wichita Soccer Crash

A Sedgwick County prosecutor will not file criminal charges against the 34-year-old Kansas woman whose truck struck a youth soccer game at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Oct. 17, killing two people, after toxicology results and an investigation found no evidence of intoxication or intent, District Attorney Marc Bennett said Thursday, according to the New York Post.

What happened at the Stryker Sports Complex crash?

The woman's Chevrolet truck plowed into a crowd of people at the complex on Oct. 17, the Post reported. The crash killed Adrian Cole, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, and injured 10 others ranging in age from 5 to 68, according to the outlet. The driver has not been publicly identified in the reporting.

Why won't the driver face criminal charges?

The charging decision in Kansas runs through the local district attorney's office, which reviews police investigative findings — including toxicology, witness statements, and vehicle data — before deciding whether probable cause supports a criminal filing. Bennett, the Sedgwick County District Attorney, announced the outcome at a press conference streamed by KAKE, the Post reported.

"I have zero evidence that this was in any way impacted by intoxication, driving under the influence," Bennett said, according to the Post.

Investigators also examined whether the crash was an "intentional act," the outlet reported. Bennett said the evidence pointed the opposite direction. "I cannot only find no evidence of an intentional crime, I can find affirmative evidence that there was not an intentional crime," he said, per the Post. Investigators confirmed the woman will not be charged.

What did toxicology and the investigation show?

Authorities had delayed a final determination while awaiting toxicology results, the Post reported, and those results showed nothing to suggest the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash. That finding, combined with the absence of evidence pointing to intent, formed the basis for Bennett's decision not to pursue charges, according to the outlet's account of his remarks.

Investigators also looked at whether the truck had been placed in park before the crash. It is unclear whether the vehicle was in park, the Post reported, and officials believe the driver may have accidentally taken her foot off the brake and onto the gas pedal — a mechanical sequence that would not, on its own, establish criminal intent or impairment under the toxicology findings cited by the district attorney.

What does the driver say happened before the crash?

Investigators interviewed the woman and her two children, ages 14 and 11, the Post reported. She told investigators she informed her kids she "was going to take a nap" in the truck, according to the outlet. The vehicle involved was her husband's Chevrolet, which she had been using for only a few days at the time of the crash, the Post reported.

The woman told investigators she had woken up at 6 a.m. on Oct. 17 and driven the truck roughly 200 miles from Garden City, where she lives, according to the outlet. She said she was driving the truck because her own vehicle had problems with its air conditioning and tires, the Post reported.

Who were the victims and how many were injured?

The crash killed Adrian Cole, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, the Post reported. Ten others were injured, with ages spanning from 5 to 68, according to the outlet — a range indicating the crash struck a mixed group of children and adults gathered at the youth soccer complex. The Post's reporting does not identify the injured by name or detail the severity of their injuries beyond the age range provided by authorities.

Bennett's announcement closes the criminal side of the case under Kansas charging standards, which require prosecutors to establish either intent or a qualifying level of culpable conduct, such as impairment, to support charges in a fatal crash. The district attorney's statements, as reported by the Post, indicate that neither element was supported by the evidence gathered during the investigation.

The Post's report does not indicate whether any civil claims have been filed or are anticipated by the victims' families, and no additional court or agency documents were cited in the available reporting.