AMES – Charges were filed Monday against a Slater woman involved in a wrong-way crash that killed a recent Iowa State graduate on May 28 just east of Ames on Highway 30.

Ashley Taylor, 41, of Slater, was charged Monday with two counts of vehicular homicide and operating while intoxicated almost a month after the crash. 

Authorities responded to the scene near Cornerstone Church around 11:30 to find Taylor’s Jeep Renegade had collided head-on with a Chevy Impala in the eastbound lane, driven by Christian Royston, 26, of Johnston. 

Taylor allegedly intoxicated, unaware of why she was driving

According to court documents, Taylor was confused as to why she was driving and did not know where she was headed. She allegedly did not know where she was or why she was on Highway 30. Two “sealed bottles of alcohol” fell from the driver’s position when she was helped out of her vehicle. 

She was transported to a hospital in Des Moines with serious injuries. Royston was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Monday, the Story County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged Taylor with the following offenses:

• Homicide by vehicle
• Reckless driving
• Operating while intoxicated
• Driving while suspended
• Driving on the wrong side of the highway

Taylor is being held in the Story County Jail on a $250,300 bond.

According to court documents, witnesses did not see Taylor’s headlights. Officers also smelled alcohol and Taylor told responders she was confused as to why she was driving and did not know where she was headed. According to court documents, two “sealed bottles of alcohol” fell from the driver’s position when she was helped out of her vehicle. Taylor is being held in the Story County Jail on a $250,300 bond.

Royston remembered as sports journalist and talented storyteller 

As a student at Iowa State, Royston was the recipient of the George Washington Carver full tuition scholarship. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering in 2020.

Royston worked for the Iowa State Daily and held internships with the Iowa Barnstormers indoor football team and the Carroll Times Herald in Carroll, Iowa.

According to his obituary, Royston “loved watching sports and was a very gifted storyteller and writer. He found his voice and passion in college, where he came out of his shell and developed into a strong and confident young man.”

Royston planned to move back to Iowa to work full-time as a sports journalist before his death.