Murder charges were filed in May. The vice principal of Confluence Academy was killed in a fatal accident

CLAYTON, Mo. (First Alert 4) – A suspect has been charged with murder in the deadly May crash that killed local assistant principal Sarah Howell.

According to authorities, 19-year-old John E. Brink was speeding and drinking alcohol before the collision while being pursued by Kirkwood police near the intersection of Big Bend and Geyer in Kirkwood on May 4.

St. Louis County prosecutors charged Brink Wednesday with second-degree murder, driving under the influence causing death and resisting arrest in the pursuit and killing of Howell. Jail booking records do not indicate he is in custody. His bail was set at $250,000, cash only.

According to a Kirkwood police probable cause statement, Brink nearly collided with a patrol car and the officer attempted to stop him heading south on Kirkwood Road. Brink allegedly continued to drive at a high rate of speed.

According to the statement, Brink turned right onto Big Bend heading west, ran a red light at a high rate of speed and then crashed into Howell. Police said the officer “informed dispatch that he failed to yield and deactivated his emergency equipment” at the time of the accident.

Police say they found a gallon jug of alcohol in the suspect's vehicle. A passenger in the vehicle told officers she and Brink had been drinking, the statement said. Brink refused a blood sample and a warrant was issued for a blood sample.

Brink had a blood alcohol content of .05 about six hours after the accident, the statement said.

A search warrant was also obtained for the vehicle's black box, which showed Brink was driving at speeds up to 99 mph in a 35 mph zone on Big Bend Road prior to the accident.

Howell was an assistant middle school principal at Confluence Academy's South City campus.

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