On the evening of December 13, 2024 the Paola Police Department responded to a call in the 600 block of East Peoria Street where a vehicle had struck a tree, leaving the driver injured and a passenger dead.
The passenger, 30-year-old Nathanial Jacobs of Twin Lakes, Minnesota was transported to the Miami County Medical Center where lifesaving measures failed to revive him. The driver 40-year-old Matthew Riha, of Harrisonville was treated at a Kansas city area hospital was later released.
According to information obtained from the Miami county prosecutor's office, Riha now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.
The passenger, 30-year-old Nathanial Jacobs of Twin Lakes, Minnesota was transported to the Miami County Medical Center where lifesaving measures failed to revive him. The driver 40-year-old Matthew Riha, of Harrisonville was treated at a Kansas city area hospital was later released.
According to information obtained from the Miami county prosecutor's office, Riha now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving.
According to the probable cause statement, Riha’s blood alcohol content was .18 at the time of the crash. He was arrested last week and is being held on a $750,000 bond as he awaits extradition to Kansas.
