OWENSVILLE — An Owensville man was killed on Jan. 28, 2025, when a dump truck driven by an unknown male traveled off the roadway and into his living room. Staff at the Gasconade County Republican spent the day at the residence as both the driver and the victim, later identified as a beloved member of the community, were removed from the wreckage. The homeowner’s wife was also taken to the hospital, according to reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP).

The state law enforcement agency noted that the driver of the dump truck was transported and the accident may have been caused by a medical episode.

Those four sentences released by MSHP were the only official information available to identify people involved in a fatal car accident. Without names, the community of Owensville and surrounding areas were left to digest the loss and wonder who among them was no longer with them.

Based on information MSHP has been releasing to the public and the news outlets since 2024, this is the end of the story.

However, the incident report didn’t scratch the surface. On the ground, in Owensville, where people know their neighbors, it wasn’t the end by a long shot. When names failed to be in the initial MSHP report due to redacted public records, the community took to Facebook and other social media accounts. Speculating. “Who was it? What could have happened? What kind of medical episode? Was the name of the trucking company on the door of the truck? Was the driver under the influence of something? Was he later arrested?”

Eventually, the newspaper was able to piece together that Donald (Ernie) Fuchs was at his home, where he lived with his wife, when the dump truck came through his front porch, into his living room near the window where he was sitting in his armchair. His wife was home at the time of the incident. Facebook users couldn’t agree on her name.

The driver was transported from the scene. Without a name, it was impossible to follow up at the hospital for a wellness check or watch Missouri Case.net for charges. What happened to the man who accidentally killed Ernie Fuchs? Almost two years later, we still don’t know.

It took hours to piece together the initial information while the community panicked and posted rumor after rumor on social media. The newspaper brought the information to the public eye as soon as it was able, trying to battle wrong information.

Fuchs’s obituary would come out later. An 84-year-old man who was active in his community, a well-known philanthropist and school supporter. The story was painful enough, the loss hard enough. The information should have never been delayed because the public didn’t know a name that would have been listed in the MSHP crash report before October 2024.

The Fuchs case is not uncommon. In our coverage area, there are at least 10 incidents where people have died, and the names of the responsible parties have not been released to this day. To our knowledge, charges have not been filed.

Names of those involved in car and boating crashes on Missouri’s public roadways and waterways have been in public records for decades as information protected under Missouri Sunshine Law. The Missouri State Highway Patrol once advertised that under Missouri Sunshine Chapter 610, these records were public records.

Accident reports had a purpose. According to MSHP’s MOCARS Manual and its outline on crash investigation reports, the paraphrased purpose is to:

• Keep the public informed about incidents on public roadways

• Provide and keep accurate, detailed records

• Include parties and vehicles involved

• Note initial indications that may have caused a crash

Using the same records in the hands of reporters and the public allows the people to:

• Show how tax-funded public safety dollars for personnel such as law enforcement, EMS and fire departments are used

• Hold agencies accountable for the decisions they make about Missouri roadways and waterways

• Preserve responsibility for those who cause crashes on the roadway

Then, in 2024, without a change in Open Records Law, MSHP policymakers decided they could withhold names from their reports, both online and in requested documents. Despite the Sunshine Act outlining that “incident, accident and finished investigative reports” should remain in the public domain (610.100), the change was made internally within MSHP. No vote of the people. Varying explanations from MSHP.

Every MSHP law enforcement officer that was asked to clarify the new policy had a different answer.

A branch of government meant to enforce the law does not get to wake up one morning and decide they are going to stop following the law without reason or consequence. That isn’t how we as a nation or as Missourians work.

Missouri’s Sunshine Law is well-known for its comprehensiveness. This state has leaned heavily on the “Show Me” method and has demanded to see what their government is doing for generations. It does not mean our law enforcement is bad or doing wrong. It means we, the people, can review what is happening and are entitled by law to see public records.

Since 2024, hundreds of crashes and tragic accidents, such as the one at the Fuchs residence, have been reported without the names of victims or the names of those responsible. I am afraid what happened to them will be lost to time without public records from state law enforcement outlining these incidents. Allowing information to be taken a piece at a time is a dangerous precedent to set.

So, to answer our community, yes, we filed a lawsuit against the Missouri State Highway Patrol for blacking out public information in public records and violating the Open Records Law. We are suing for access to records that should be open to everyone.

Missourians have a right to see what’s happening on the roadways in their communities. They have a right to know the name of someone who operated a motor vehicle improperly and to follow them through the courts to see if they are punished for their actions. Missourians have a right to view records without strenuous or undue fees.

A current Sunshine request for an unredacted citation where the officer’s name was hidden was estimated to take about six months. Information was requested in June. Four months later, we are still waiting.

The Missouri Press Association, The Missouri Broadcast Association, Gray Local Media, Inc., including KMOV - St. Louis, KSMO,  and Warden Publishing Company, LLC, are willing to stand up with me and say, “Open the records. Restore the records. Allow the press the freedom to report the news. Keep information open to the masses.”