East St. Louis woman sentenced in carjacking that resulted in bus driver’s death
An East St. Louis woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison for her role in a carjacking which led to the death of a St. Louis bus driver in 2018.
United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry sentenced Jana Stowers, 22, in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Wednesday. Stowers pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting related to a carjacking which resulted in the death of Gus Gus Fun Bus owner Michael Arnold.
Perry sentenced Curtis Alford, Stowers co-defendant, to 20-years in prison last week.
According to court records, on June 16, 2018, Alford and Stowers rushed up to a couple in downtown St. Louis while they were putting money in a parking meter. The victims were in town attending the “Taste of St Louis” event downtown.
Alford sprayed the man and woman with pepper spray and, after a struggle, was able to get the keys to their Ford F-150 pickup truck. Stowers supplied Alford with the pepper spray.
Arnold witnessed the carjacking and was in the street near the truck taking pictures of the crime in progress, according to the court records. Alford drove over Arnold, pinning him beneath the truck and dragging him across the street. The truck then jumped the curb, hit another victim who had been walking on the sidewalk and struck a fire hydrant before taking off.
Alford picked up Stowers around the corner and continued to speed away.
A group of pedestrians and two police officers gathered near the corner of Seventh Street and Chestnut, where Alford crashed the truck and along with Stowers was immediately arrested.
Arnold suffered multiple internal injuries and died days later.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 9:02 AM.
