CLAY COUNTY (Dec. 3, 2025) – A JJ Highway crash scene became even more dangerous Monday night when an off-duty Excelsior Springs Fire Department paramedic allegedly drove into the active investigation and struck all three vehicles present, including a Highway Patrol cruiser, injuring two people and prompting a felony DWI arrest.
Troopers had been working a prior crash near Foothills Road shortly before 7:30 p.m. Their emergency lights cut through the darkness as temperatures fell and the roadway refroze, coating JJ Highway in slick, icy patches that had already caused the earlier trouble.
While troopers were tending to that initial incident, a Nissan Armada approached the scene. According to the probable cause statement, the SUV slammed into the rear of a stationary Highway Patrol cruiser that had its emergency equipment activated. The impact was so forceful that it shoved the patrol car forward into a pedestrian and caused the cruiser to overturn off the roadway.
Troopers identified the driver of the Armada as Ashleigh Jayne Sparks, 42, an off-duty paramedic with the Excelsior Springs Fire Department.
The trooper who interviewed Sparks on the scene wrote that her movements were slow and lethargic, her speech was slurred, and her eyes were bloodshot, watery, and glassy. He also noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverages coming from her person, both while standing on the roadway and later inside his patrol vehicle.
When asked, Sparks told the trooper she had consumed three glasses of wine before driving.
Troopers say they administered a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test and conducted a preliminary breath test, which registered a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.168 percent. Sparks was taken into custody and transported to the Clay County Detention Center. A later evidentiary breath test showed a BAC of 0.127 percent. A consentual search of her vehicle revealed an empty Corona beer bottle behind the driver’s seat.
The Highway Patrol trooper whose vehicle was struck and the pedestrian hit during the chain reaction both sustained minor injuries, including bruising and possible head injuries. Both were evaluated at Liberty Hospital and later released.
The Clay County Prosecutor has charged Sparks with two felonies: DWI resulting in physical injury and DWI resulting in injury to a law enforcement or emergency worker.
According to online records, Sparks is still in custody at the Clay County Detention Center as of Wednesday evening. She is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond, with recommended alcohol monitoring, bond supervision, and no contact with victims or witnesses if released.
Records obtained from the City of Excelsior Springs showed that Sparks was hired by ESFD in August 2025, less than four months ago. ESFD verified that Sparks was not on active duty during the time of the incident.
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