Park Tavern fatal crash: Steven Bailey trial date set for May
Park Tavern crash charges filed against driver
Charges have been filed against the driver of a vehicle involved in a deadly crash at St. Louis Park’s Park Tavern on Sunday night. FOX 9’s Mary McGuire has the latest update.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A trial date has been set for Steven Bailey – the driver facing several charges after prosecutors say he crashed into the patio of Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, killing two people and injuring several others.
Steven Bailey trial date
Dig deeper:
The trial for Bailey has been set for May 12, 2025, with Hennepin County Judge Juan Hoyos presiding over the case.
Bailey currently faces charges of third-degree murder, criminal vehicular homicide and driving under the influence stemming from the crash that occurred on Sept. 1, 2024.
In October 2024, judge Hoyos signed a conditional release order for Bailey. He was then released on Oct. 6, 2024, after posting a $500,000 bond.
Bailey will remain out of police custody as long as he adheres to a range of conditions. Among them include no direct contact with victims (their families or Park Tavern); no firearm possession; and being subjected to random alcohol testing.
He is also prohibited from operating a vehicle or leaving Minnesota, and will be subjected to electronic home monitoring.
In December 2024, Bailey pleaded not guilty to the charges he is facing.
Remembering the Park Tavern crash victims
Kristina Folkerts, one of the victims of the fatal crash at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, Minn., had a deep, lifelong connection to Park Tavern where she worked as a server, that FOX 9 had previously profiled.
Park Tavern fatal crash
The backstory:
Police say surveillance video shows Bailey driving his vehicle into the parking lot of Park Tavern just after 8 p.m. on Sept. 1.
According to charges, Bailey tried to back into a parking spot, but struck another car. He then pulled out of the spot and accelerated into the patio area outside the restaurant.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty previously said Bailey took a breath test after the crash, testing four times the legal limit with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) of 0.325.
According to the complaint, officers heard Bailey on the phone saying he "hit the gas instead of the brake and went right through a thing… I'm probably going to jail."
When told he was being arrested, Bailey said: "You got to be kidding me" and "my life's pretty much f---ed now, isn't it?"
Two people were killed in the crash: Park Tavern server Kristina Folkerts and Methodist Hospital employee Gabe Harvey.
Folkerts was working at the time she was killed, while Harvey was out with coworkers celebrating someone's last day at Methodist.
At least nine people were also injured in the crash, including four of Harvey's coworkers, who have been identified as Theo Larson, Tegan D’Albani, Laura Knutsen and Eric Schefers.
Bailey has five previous drunken driving convictions on his driving record, court records show.
The Source: Court documents filed in Hennepin County, and previous FOX 9 reporting.