Des Moines man sentenced in fatal Thanksgiving crash

Shawn Michael Bowersock was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison and $150,000 in restitution for the Thanksgiving crash that killed Connie Allison last year.

Bowersock, 46, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide while driving while intoxicated, avoiding a probation violation and a traffic ticket.

The charges stem from an accident that occurred on November 23. Bowersock was fleeing from police who saw he was driving with an expired registration sticker. He failed to navigate a curve and jumped into a creek bed at 85 mph. The car landed at the bottom of a creek at Southeast Eighth Street and East Emma Avenue in Des Moines.

Lab results showed Bowersock had methamphetamine, amphetamine and fentanyl in his system.

Allison, 66, was a passenger in the vehicle and died from her injuries.

According to a news release from the Polk County Prosecutor, Bowersock apologized during the hearing, stating “I caused this loss of life” and telling the family that “If I could trade places with her, I will do it”.