CLAY COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A 77-year-old Clendenin man has been charged with driving under the influence after allegedly striking a 10-year-old child with his vehicle near the Queen Shoals Bridge in Clay County on Sunday.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the West Virginia State Police, Trooper L.E. Whitt responded to a call from Clay County 911 regarding a pedestrian accident involving a young girl.
When the trooper arrived at the scene on River Haven Road, emergency personnel from Kanawha County EMS were already treating the child, who had sustained a scraped knee, a scraped chin, and a two-inch gash above her left eyebrow.
Trooper Whitt found a blue Dodge 3500 van with West Virginia plates resting over a small embankment, having crashed through several landscaping trees and a wire fence before stopping near a residence at 1051 River Haven Road.
Witnesses at the scene told the trooper that the driver, identified as Steven Grau, had veered off the right side of the roadway before striking the child, who was walking along the roadside.
Witnesses also reported that Grau had consumed a beer earlier in the evening prior to driving. Grau confirmed this to authorities and agreed to undergo standardized field sobriety testing. According to the complaint, his performance on the tests indicated a high likelihood of impairment.
Grau further admitted to using a combination of over-the-counter medications each morning, as well as delta and cannabinoid products in the form of a cream.
Based on witness statements and the results of the sobriety testing, Grau was placed under arrest on suspicion of DUI. He voluntarily submitted to a blood draw at CAMC General Hospital, where the child was also taken by EMS at her mother’s request.
He is currently out on bond.
