OWENSVILLE — David Shaw of Sunrise Beach, Mo., was charged Dec. 19 with the class A misdemeanor of failure to drive on the right half of the roadway resulting in an crash stemming from an incident that resulted in the death of a Hermann High School student on March 12.

MSHP reports arriving at the scene of a crash approximately half a mile south of Aufderheide Road on Highway 19 where a Ford F250 with a towed unit was off the north side of the roadway engulfed in flames and a 2025 Peterbilt 926, driven by Shaw, also engulfed in flames and overturned onto its passenger side on the south side of the roadway.

According to the crash investigation, the accident was caused by the Peterbilt traveling into oncoming traffic due to Shaw being distracted while picking at his face. The trooper reports that the Ford pickup drove off the side of the roadway in the driver’s attempt to avoid being hit by the Peterbilt before over-correcting the steering to the left, skidding, crossing the center line and traveling into the southbound lane before striking the Peterbilt. Both vehicles traveled off the roadway after the impact and caught on fire.

The 17-year-old driver of the Ford, Jack Schneider, died of his injuries and the fire sustained in the crash and was transported to Toedtmann & Grosse Funeral Home in Hermann. Shaw was transported via ambulance to Capital Region Medical Center by Owensville EMS for non life-threatening injuries. This accident was the eleventh fatality in 2025 and the second during the month of March.

A summons has been issued for Shaw to appear in Gasconade County Division 4 Court Jan. 5 at 9 a.m. with Judge Sonya Day Brandt presiding.

Schneider, the son of Lucas and Andrea Schneider of Berger, was active in the Hermann High School FFA chapter. In his honor on March 19, FFA chapter members at Hermann, Owensville, and Vienna high schools were among 14 area programs where students wore their official dress clothes to school.

Driver charged

Jason Granicke of St. Paul was charged Dec. 16 with the class B misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated, the class C misdemeanor of failure to stop at a stop sign and the infraction of failure to properly display license plate in Hermann.

According to the probable cause statement, on Friday, Oct. 24, a Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) trooper witnessed Granicke fail to stop at a stop sign at Highway 19 and Highway 100 in a gray Dodge pickup truck. The officer reported Granicke as having watery, bloodshot eyes and failing field sobriety tests.

Granicke’s initial appearance was scheduled for Dec. 17 but a continuance was granted setting his next court date for Feb. 11 at 9 a.m. in Gasconade County Division 4 Court with Judge Ada Brehe-Krueger presiding.