Columbia man killed in single-car crash

A Columbia man died Monday night after he was thrown 20 feet from his truck in an accident north of Columbia.

Cory L. Hodler was driving south on Creasy Springs Road when his car veered over the center line, ran off the road and rolled several times, said Maj. Tom Reddin of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.

The sheriff’s department was still investigating the cause of the accident Tuesday afternoon.

“Speed was a contributing factor,” Reddin said. He said it was unlikely that Hodler was wearing a seat belt. Police have not yet determined if Hodler was intoxicated.

Hodler was involved in a 20-mile chase with law enforcement officers last September that ended in a Boone County soybean field.

As previously reported by the Missourian, Hodler fled from Hallsville police Officer Caleb Moore and a nearby Boone County sheriff’s deputy who attempted to pull Hodler over after seeing him make an unsafe pass around a road crew that was cutting grass along Route B.

“We still don’t know why he ran,” Moore said.

Hodler had no outstanding warrants at the time, there was nothing illegal in his truck, and he did not appear to be intoxicated, Moore said.