Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the year of the vehicle accident.
A Smithton man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the July 2016 death of a Sedalia bicyclist.
According to online court records, Marty L. Kropf, 27, of Smithton, has been charged with first degree involuntary manslaughter, failure to register a motor vehicle, owning/operating a motor vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility, failure to display valid license plates and no seat belt.
According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, around 7 p.m. July 22, 2016, Kropf was driving east on state Route HH, east of Olive Branch Road, when he rear-ended 51-year-old Patrick K. Gwaltney, who was riding a bicycle eastbound. Gwaltney was ejected from his bike into a ditch.
Kropf continued traveling eastbound for several hundred feet before stopping his vehicle.
Gwaltney was pronounced dead at the scene by Pettis County Coroner Robert Smith.
According to court documents, Kropf told the responding MSHP trooper he never saw Gwaltney prior to the crash and that he did not know which direction Gwaltney had been traveling.
In the court documents, the trooper states that Gwaltney was traveling on the fog line and was “as near to the right side of the road as possible” at the point of impact. The trooper also states Kropf was also traveling on the fog line or slightly across it at impact. The trooper adds that Kropf’s view “should have been unobstructed,” although he had mentioned there was a crack on his windshield.
“… it would not have taken much of a swerve for Mr. Kropf to avoid the impact,” the trooper wrote. “Mr. Kropf struck and killed Mr. Gwaltney while he was not paying attention, and while Mr. Gwaltney was in plain view. Mr. Kropf was reckless by not paying attention to the road in front of him.”
Kropf was initially arrested the night of the accident and taken to the Pettis County Jail with multiple charges requested, but Pettis County Prosecuting Attorney Phillip Sawyer told the Democrat that no charges were filed at that time.
“We were asked to consider the manslaughter charge. We elected not to file any of them (the charges) until filing of the crash report,” Sawyer said by phone Tuesday afternoon. “After receiving that is when we filed the charges.”
Kropf was arrested Friday night by the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office after a warrant was issued. He was issued a $5,000 bond, cash or surety, with special condition that he is not to operate a vehicle. An arraignment has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Pettis County Courthouse.
According to online court documents, Kropf has a history of minor traffic violations, but no felony charges.
According to his obituary, Gwaltney was a Smith-Cotton High School graduate. He owned and operated Patrick Kent’s Lounge in Sedalia and worked for Ditzfeld Transfer for the last 12 years. He was also active in the local athletics community, coaching for the Sedalia Football League and several area traveling teams, as well as serving as the defensive coordinator for the Sedalia Outlaws.
