Poplar Bluff driver killed following vehicle crash in Butler County

An area driver was killed after his vehicle crashed in Butler County early Tuesday morning. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that the incident happened around 12:55 am on US 160, east of Fairdealing. The crash occurred when a vehicle ran off the roadway, struck two trees, and caught fire. The driver, 21-year-old Aaron Gawthrop, of Poplar Bluff, was pronounced dead at a Poplar Bluff hospital.