ST. LOUIS COUNTY — An Arnold man was charged Wednesday with involuntary manslaughter in a vehicle crash that killed a motorist in the Oakville area.

Gavin Eugene Kolley, 37, is being held on $100,000 bond.

He is accused of driving recklessly and causing the death Tuesday evening of Christine Decker. Police said Kolley hit Decker's car head-on on Baumgartner Road at Blackforest Drive.

Decker, 57, lived in the 5800 block of Falcon View Lane.

Kolley hit another vehicle before hitting Decker's, police said. He is charged with leaving the scene of an accident for the first crash, on Meramec Bottom Road.

After hitting that car, he raced off, driving erratically, police said. He ran a red light at Meramec Bottom Road and Lemay Ferry, then sped along Baumgartner before crossing the center line and hitting Decker's vehicle, court documents said.

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The fatal crash was just before 7 p.m. Tuesday in the 3200 block of Baumgartner. Decker died at a hospital.

A medic smelled alcohol and said Kolley had slurred speech, St. Louis County police Officer James Anderson said in court papers.

Kolley told police "that he relapsed again and that he was racing at the time of the accident and did something stupid and was taking medicine for alcohol withdrawal," Anderson wrote in court documents.

At the hospital, Kolley said he was being treated for alcohol-related issues and relapsed again, Anderson said.

Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of April 27, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.

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