Phenix City woman charged with vehicular homicide in Bradley Park wreck

A Phenix City woman has been charged with first-degree vehicular homicide in the July 11 wreck near J.R. Allen Parkway, according to Muscogee County Jail records.

Kristen Kimber, 30, surrendered to authorities at the Columbus Public Safety Building around 1 p.m. Tuesday as arranged by her attorney Mark Shelnutt. In addition to the homicide charge, she faces one count each of reckless driving, failure to maintain lane and no seat belt.

Kimber was booked into the Muscogee County Jail but has since been released on bond.

Columbus police were called around 1:10 p.m. July 11 to investigate a crash on the westbound Bradley Park Drive ramp entering J.R. Allen Parkway.

According to a police report, Kimber told authorities that 25-year-old Jermaine Markey Perry of Phenix City, the only passenger, was sitting in the back seat of her 2006 Honda Accord when they started arguing about a loan. He became upset and told her to shut up, she said. As she was driving down the ramp to the parkway, Perry allegedly shoved her head into the steering wheel.

The vehicle veered off to the left side of the road and continued westbound before sliding down an embankment. It struck two trees on the driver’s side and then another tree head on. The Honda began to vault while spinning counterclockwise and struck another tree on the passenger’s side, according to the report.

Police said the vehicle then slid down the tree, rotated on its roof and came to a stop, still facing West.

Kimber was not wearing her seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, authorities said. She was treated at Midtown Medical Center in Columbus and released.

Perry, who was not ejected from the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:38 p.m., according to officials.

No additional information was available Wednesday from police.

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 1:43 PM with the headline "Phenix City woman charged with vehicular homicide in Bradley Park wreck."