Alcohol, speed cited as factors in crash of Porsche

May 17—Police said Friday that investigators have found alcohol and speed are "probable contributing factors" in a single-vehicle crash Wednesday night near downtown Joplin that left a couple seriously injured.

The driver of the Porsche Panamera, 62-year-old Jeffery W. Heck, and passenger Barbara Heck, 49, both of Joplin, were taken to Mercy Hospital Joplin, where they were reported to be stable on Friday.

Police said a charge of driving while intoxicated is being sought on Jeffery Heck.

The car was traveling north on Wall Avenue at 10:50 p.m. when it struck a utility pole and a building at 1204 S. Wall Ave., ripping its engine compartment apart from the passenger compartment.

Jeff Lehr is a reporter for The Joplin Globe.