PULASKI COUNTY, MO — A St. Robert woman has been charged with murder after Pulaski County authorities tied her to an August shooting incident and a deadly crash that left one passenger dead. Prosecutors say 25-year-old Gracie Lynn Hutchinson was driving a white Toyota Tacoma when deputies began piecing together events that started outside Club Rodeo and ended with a violent wreck.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office says the sequence of events unfolded late on Aug. 29 and involved gunfire, a pursuit and a high-speed crash. One man was later pronounced dead at University Hospital on Sept. 2, while Hutchinson was hospitalized and later released. She was arrested and booked into the Pulaski County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Investigators traced the case back to Club Rodeo and Texas Road

According to a probable cause statement, deputies first learned about Hutchinson after she returned from Club Rodeo with three other people shortly before midnight. Surveillance footage reportedly showed two couples getting out of a Ram truck, after which Hutchinson got into the driver’s seat of a white Toyota Tacoma.

A witness told investigators the group had left because one member was intoxicated and had been trying to deflate another person’s tires in the parking lot. The woman then drove herself and one other person away from the scene, deputies said. Those details became important as investigators tried to connect the group to what happened next on nearby roads.

Later that night, law enforcement received a report that a white truck sat at the intersection of Texas and Tampa roads for about five minutes before the passenger got out and fired several rounds across Texas Road. The person then returned to the vehicle, and two more sets of shots were reported farther south along the roadway.

Deputies found shell casings and a damaged truck at the scene

Responding officials said they found multiple shell casings, which matched the account they were given. Investigators also located the white truck later on with its hazard lights on as it was moving past Texas Road. Deputies noted sparks coming from the passenger-side rear, suggesting the vehicle had already been damaged.

The sheriff’s office then tried to stop the truck, but the driver did not yield and the encounter turned into a pursuit. Court filings say the vehicle sped away from the patrol car, prompting deputies to classify the encounter as a chase rather than a routine traffic stop.

Law enforcement has not said in the probable cause statement how many shots were fired in total, but the account describes a series of bursts from the passenger side while the vehicle moved through the area. The evidence collected at the scene helped support the charges that followed.

The pursuit ended when the truck struck trees and flipped

Court filings say the Tacoma sideswiped a small tree during the chase, which caused the driver to lose control. The truck then hit a larger tree head-on, went airborne, spun and came to rest on an embankment on the left side of the roadway.

An electronic data recorder showed the truck was traveling 65.2 mph in a 25 mph zone at the time of the crash. That speed, combined with the collision sequence, turned the chase into a major wreck that left both people inside the truck badly hurt.

Investigators said Hutchinson was ejected from the front left side of the vehicle and went through the windshield. A male passenger was also thrown out, exiting through the front passenger-side window before being found behind the truck.

One passenger died days later while Hutchinson survived her injuries

Hutchinson was hospitalized after the crash and was later released on Sept. 9, according to court records. The male passenger did not survive. He was pronounced dead at University Hospital at 8:56 p.m. on Sept. 2.

Deputies wrote in the probable cause statement that charges tied to the man’s alleged actions could not be pursued because he died. That left investigators focused on the driver and the sequence of events that began with the shooting allegation and ended with the fatal crash.

The case now centers on how the shooting, the refusal to stop and the dangerous driving fit together. Authorities have linked the death to the felony murder allegation filed against Hutchinson, along with the other charges in the case.

Felony murder, fleeing and weapons counts now move through jail and court

Hutchinson has been charged with second-degree murder under a felony murder theory, aggravated fleeing a stop or detention resulting in death, and unlawful use of a weapon for shooting from a motor vehicle. Court records list the offense language as tied to the alleged drug-related felony, attempted felony or flight from a felony listed in the filing.

She was booked into the Pulaski County Jail on a $500,000 bond. The sheriff’s office and court filings provide the main account of what investigators say happened, from the initial encounter near Club Rodeo to the final crash on the roadside embankment.

The case remains a serious one for Pulaski County officials because it combines allegations of gunfire, reckless driving and a death that occurred days after the crash. Those charges will now move through the court system as prosecutors continue to build their case.