EAST ST. LOUIS – Owners of Good Times Saloon and Tiny’s Pub and Grill settled claims that they contributed to the death of Toshorn Napper in a traffic crash involving a former Alton police officer.
Napper's mother Terri Coleman-Napper, administrator of his estate, reported the settlements to Chief U.S. District Judge Nancy Rosenstengel on April 27.
The estate’s claims against police in Alton, Dupo, and East Carondelet remain pending.
Former Alton police officer Ashley Roever drank at Good Times and Tiny’s prior to driving her vehicle into the rear of Napper’s vehicle at a railroad crossing in Sauget in 2020.
Coleman-Napper sued Roever, Alton, Dupo, East Carondelet, and other individual officers in St. Clair County Circuit Court in 2021.
She also sued Good Times, owner Mark Packer, Tiny’s, and owner Donald Voelker.
Napper claimed Roever left Tiny’s and drove toward Good Times to meet friends.
She claimed a dispatcher told officers that observers believed the driver of a black sport utility vehicle was intoxicated.
She claimed Dupo patrolman Cameron Cleveland stopped Roever near Good Times and officers from Dupo and East Carondelet arrived to assist.
She added that they didn’t perform sobriety tests.
Napper claimed they directed a sober patron to park Roever’s vehicle at Good Times.
They allegedly allowed Roever to enter Good Times where she continued drinking.
Napper claimed Rover’s blood alcohol was more than three times the legal limit.
Defendants removed the complaint to district court, stating Coleman-Napper alleged violation of federal law.
The taverns answered the complaint and the municipalities moved to dismiss it.
Roever’s insurer settled with Coleman-Napper last October.
This February, Rosenstengel mostly denied the motions to dismiss.
She found it was reasonably foreseeable that Roever would continue drinking, get into a collision, and injure someone.
“The fact that Roever was off duty at the time of the incident is not dispositive of Alton’s liability,” she wrote.
Rosenstengel found Coleman-Napper claimed Roever used her position to obtain favorable treatment.
She noted that Coleman-Napper claimed Alton police were aware of a pattern of officers using their positions to commit crimes without fear of consequences.
She added that Coleman-Napper claimed Alton failed to instruct, control, and discipline Roever.
Allison Stenger, Michael Singer, and Craig Concannon, all of St. Louis County, represent Coleman-Napper.
John Cunningham and Daniel Hasenstab of Belleville represent Tiny’s and Packer.
Peter Westhoff of St. Louis represents Good Times and Voelker.