Lee County man charged in 2021 traffic accident death in Fort Madison
A Lee County man has been charged for his role in a traffic accident in Fort Madison that caused the death of a Gladstone, Illinois, man in 2021.
Robert Keith, 27, of St. Paul, was arrested Thursday and charged with homicide by vehicle reckless driving (class C felony) for the death of Andy Joe Annegers, 62, on March 2, 2021.
At 4:41 p.m. that day, police say Keith was driving a red 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix southbound on Highway 61, near Chalk Ridge Road in Fort Madison, when he collided with a 2007 Zetar 8441 tractor being driven by Annegers, according to a criminal complaint.
Police say Keith's car hit the tractor at a high rate of speed, ejecting Annegers from the tractor and causing the tractor to come to rest at the bottom of a nearby ravine.
Annegers died from his injuries at the scene of the crash and Keith was taken to Fort Madison Hospital for minor injuries.
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The incident was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol. The Lee County Sheriff's office, West Point and Donnellson police, Lee County EMS and West Point Fire and Rescue also responded the accident.
The complaint states that Keith "failed to observe the tractor, did not slow down or move over to attempt to pass."
Keith was also driving 72 mph in a 65 mph while on cruise-control and did not brake at the moment of collision, according to the complaint.
Keith also told officers he was sending messages on the social media app Snapchat while he was driving and prior to the crash, the complaint states.
The crash was also caught on dash camera by a Lee County Sheriff's deputy who was nearby for an unrelated traffic stop.
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Search warrant results indicate Keith was sending Snapchat messages right before the accident, with the last message being sent 11 seconds prior to the crash, according to the complaint.
The search warrant results also indicate that Keith had also been receiving and reviewing messages he received on his phone and was reaching for items in his vehicle at the time of the crash, the complaint states.
As of Monday, Keith is being held at the Lee County Jail. His bond is set for $10,000 cash-only.
A preliminary hearing is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 3 at the North Lee County Courthouse in Fort Madison.
Brad Vidmar covers public safety and education for The Hawk Eye and can be reached via email at BVidmar@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Lee County man charged in 2021 traffic death of Gladstone man
