Thomson, who served two years in prison beginning in 2001 for aggravated assault and tampering with evidence, has nearly 20 traffic offenses on his record since 1999, according to Clark County court records.
Charges include operating a vehicle under the influence, driving under suspension, driving without a license, illegal use of another’s plates and speeding. He also has a fugitive warrant out of Montgomery County for a probation violation.
According to police, an officer was stopped Sunday at North Street near Limestone Street when he clocked Thomson driving 62 mph in a 35 mph zone. Cruiser camera video shows the officer pull out and activate his overhead lights.
Thomson crosses two lanes to get to the right lane and puts on his turn signal, the video shows. He then turns right onto Limestone Street and takes off at a high rate of speed, Springfield Police Chief Stephen Moody said.
As Thomson turns onto Warder Street, the officer — whose name has not been released — turns on his sirens. After several seconds, the officer ends the pursuit, visibly slowing down and turning off his sirens. He eventually loses Thomson as he turns onto Water Street, the video shows.
“He was being stopped for speed. I’ve got a warrant attached. I’m going to disregard. We’re going about 50 mph,” the officer radioed back to dispatchers.
A sergeant who was also in the area is then seen following the officer on Mt. Vernon Avenue. As they turn the corner, Thomson’s SUV is found crashed into a tree and a young girl is running away screaming. The officer gets out of the cruiser with his Taser drawn and orders Thomson to stay down. As Moody confirmed, officers first believed a passenger might have been ejected but later learned the girl has been struck and was under the vehicle.
“We have two people walking and she cannot find the other one. I don’t know if she’s been hit,” an officer radioed to dispatchers.
“Rescue, she’s under the car,” another officers dispatches later.
According to Springfield police’s pursuit policy, any officer has the right to terminate a chase. The officer made the right call by not chasing Thomson, Moody said, and was also correct to keep following him.
“(Thomson) had no intention of stopping,” Moody said. “He had set the tone for this homicide right on North Street.”
A crash reconstruction team is working with detectives and the crime lab to determine what happened after officers lost sight of Thomson. It’s unknown how fast he was going when he struck Kayla, but Moody estimated he was traveling more than 50 mph when the officer ended the pursuit.
Blood was taken from Thomson after he was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center with minor injuries.
The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. Moody said he’s not facing any disciplinary action but was placed on leave to decompress.
Kayla’s death remained the talk of the neighborhood and a vigil was held Monday night in front of the crash site.
Kevin Foland witnessed the incident from his yard on Murray Street.
He said the SUV rounded the corner of Murray Street on Sunday evening with great speed.
“When he hit that corner,” Foland said, “he was on two wheels.”
Standing Monday morning by a mound of stuffed animals left in the grassy area where Kayla was killed, Braelynn Stapleton burst into tears at the thought of what happened to her baby sitter.
“She was very fun,” Braelynn, 9, said.
Kayla, who would have been an eighth-grader this fall at Hayward Middle School, baby-sat all three of Erin Stapleton’s daughters on nearby Rodgers Drive.
“This is their first real loss. They still have their grandmothers and grandfathers,” Erin Stapleton said of her children, who had come to the makeshift memorial to pay their respects.
Because school is out for summer, the Springfield City School District hadn’t determined whether to have grief counselors available.
Erin Stapleton described Kayla as the typical tween.
“She was very personable. She needed to be around people,” Erin Stapleton said. “She wanted to have cute shoes.”
Often, Erin Stapleton would come home to find Kayla and her kids dancing to the music of Nicki Minaj.
“I wish we could do more than talk about her,” Erin Stapleton said. “She will be greatly missed.”
Skyler Swope, who was Kayla’s classmate, described her as a good student and a friendly person who everybody loved.
Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson asked Monday to set Thomson’s bond at $100,000 given his prior criminal history. Judge Thomas Trempe took Wilson’s recommendation, and added $10,000 when Thomson was also arraigned on prior charges of driving under suspension and fictitious plates.
On June 14, Thomson pleaded not guilty in Clark County Municipal Court to driving under suspension.
After his arraignment Monday, Thomson told his family he was sorry as he was led out of the courtroom.
His wife, Danielle, described him as a good father who made a mistake.
“He couldn’t believe that he killed someone’s baby,” she said. “He’s so sorry for this and I know sorry doesn’t matter as a mother ... but he is truly sorry for what he did.”
However Danielle Thomson said her husband should be punished.
“I mean, for justice for that little girl, I think whatever they decide, I do believe it’s right ... I know it’s an awful thing. It’s a tragedy,” she said.
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