Affidavit reveals 2 now charged in Arkansas crash that killed girl, left 4-year-old critically hurt

From left: 31-year-old Sabrina Danae Crowe of Springdale and 29-year-old Nathaniel Aaron Clark of Springdale
From left: 31-year-old Sabrina Danae Crowe of Springdale and 29-year-old Nathaniel Aaron Clark of Springdale

Two people now face charges in a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on an Arkansas road that killed a 9-year-old and left a 4-year-old critically injured, an affidavit released Tuesday shows.

A preliminary crash report states that the wreck occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Cowface Road in Lowell, south of Arkansas 264.

Nathaniel Aaron Clark of Springdale, 31-year-old Sabrina Danae Crowe of Springdale and three girls — ages 9, 6 and 4 — were inside a pickup that reportedly traveled off the road and hit several trees.

According to the affidavit, the five were on a boat at Beaver Lake that afternoon, and Crowe and Clark became intoxicated before they headed in the pickup to Avoca.

When deputies arrived at the scene, 29-year-old Clark was "belligerent" and taken into custody, court documents state. Authorities noted he smelled of alcohol.

Emergency personnel reportedly performed CPR on the 9-year-old and the 4-year-old, but the older girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The 4-year-old was taken by helicopter to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, where she was placed in a medically induced coma "in hope that the swelling in her brain will subside," the document states.

Crowe and the 6-year-old were taken to a nearby hospital for injuries that weren't life-threatening, authorities said.

In initial interviews, Clark told deputies that he was the driver and a vehicle towing a boat had run him off the road. He was arrested Sunday on a negligent homicide charge. According to the affidavit, Crowe said the pair had each had about three beers before getting in the pickup.

Further investigation revealed that no other vehicle had caused the crash and that Crowe was actually the driver, the document states, and authorities amended the charges for the Springdale residents.

Clark now is charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution and three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. Crowe faces charges that include negligent homicide, DWI, reckless driving and three counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

Both remained at the Benton County jail Tuesday afternoon, records show. Crowe is being held in lieu of $75,000 bond and Clark in lieu of $7,500 bond. They have a court appearance scheduled for July 23.

The weather was clear and the road was dry at the time of the Benton County wreck, police said.

At least 211 people have died in crashes on state roads this year, according to preliminary data.

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