(Information in this report is gathered from police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or changed as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police

Dec. 1

At about 12:50 p.m., Quality Rental & Sales, 1331 Frontage Road, reported a vehicle was left on its lot and its driver had left the area on foot. The abandoned vehicle, a turquoise 1998 Chevrolet Silverado, returned stolen out of Sunset Hills, Mo. The suspect in this incident was described as a 6-foot-tall White male wearing a navy blue coat, blue surgical mask and black pants. Anyone with information is asked to call the Columbia Police Department at 618-281-5151.

Dec. 2

Ausar B. Graham, 23, of St. Louis, was arrested on an in-state warrant and for expired registration and suspended registration on Route 3 at Southwoods Drive. 

Dec. 4

Jeffrey C. Wingerter, 26, of Chester, was arrested shortly after 4 a.m. for DUI and improper lane usage on Route 3 at Gilmore Lake Road.

Dec. 6

Emergency personnel responded about 9:30 a.m. to a two-car crash on Route 3 at North Main Street. The vehicles involved were a gray car and a blue car driven by men aged in their 60s. No injuries were reported, but there was lane blockage.

Dupo Police 

Dec. 2

Michael W. Johnson, 42, of East Carondelet, was charged with two counts of aggravated fleeing/eluding police and one count of fleeing/eluding police following an incident that began about 6:45 p.m. on Route 3. Johnson’s vehicle was eventually found crashed, after which Johnson was located during a search.

Illinois State Police

Dec. 2

A two-vehicle crash occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. on I-255 near Dupo. A grey 2010 Nissan Armada driven by Alexis R. Moore, 18, of St. Louis, was traveling on I-255 northbound when the vehicle stopped in lane two for unknown reasons. The Armada was rear-ended by a white 2002 Acura MDX driven by Jennifer M. Duran, 36, of St. Louis. Duran was airlifted by ARCH Air Medical Services to a St. Louis hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Moore was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. Northbound I-255 traffic was diverted at Exit 9 until the scene was secured. 

Monroe County Sheriff

Dec. 3

No injuries were reported about 1:30 p.m. following a motorcycle crash on Bluff Road just north of Limestone Lane in Valmeyer. The motorcyclist, a 68-year-old man, sustained only minor scrapes and scratches as a result of the crash. The motorcycle had Missouri plates.

Dec. 4

Derrick A. Compton, 32, of Wright City, Mo., and James A. Compton, 21, of Ava, were each arrested for possession of a controlled substance near the intersection of Hamacher and Rogers streets in Waterloo.

Dec. 5

Thomas W. Sockow, 35, of Red Bud, was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. for DUI and improper parking on the roadway on Route 3 in Columbia.

Dec. 7

Emergency personnel responded about 4:40 p.m. for a vehicle stuck in the area of KK Road near G Road. The 911 caller, who farms the land, found the woman in her car calling for help. She told the man she had been trying to get to a friend’s house when she got lost, ending up on his farmland. No injuries were reported.

St. Clair County Sheriff

Dec. 3

The Columbia Fire Department and Columbia EMS assisted deputies in responding to a single-vehicle crash in the area of Nevois Lane and Imbs Station Road about 4:20 p.m. A 2019 Dodge Ram driven by Brian L. Rapp, 43, of Millstadt, was eastbound on Imbs Station Road when a deer crossed in front of the truck, which swerved to avoid the deer and overcorrected. This caused the truck to leave the roadway on the south side and overturn in a field. The truck also struck and broke a Monroe County Electric Cooperative utility pole before coming to rest. The driver declined medical transport.

Waterloo Police

Dec. 1

Kurtis A. Grahlherr, 39, of Waterloo, was charged with aggravated assault with a vehicle following a Nov. 22 incident in which it is alleged he drove his 2001 Ford pickup on the alley behind Sunset Motel at a high rate of speed toward John Kirkley, endangering his safety.

Dec. 2

A theft from Rural King, 740 N. Market Street, at about 11:15 a.m. is under investigation. Red lithium batteries valued at $318 were stolen from the store. The suspect vehicle is a blue four-door sedan driven by a White male.

Dec. 3

Police are on the lookout for a black Chrysler 300 car with Missouri dealer plates and occupied by a White female and two White males who were involved in a theft from Rural King, 740 N. Market Street, about 7:40 p.m. The vehicle traveled north on North Market Street toward Route 3 before police eventually got behind it on Route 3 at South Main Street in Columbia. An Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network was broadcast after the vehicle declined to stop. Police followed at a safe speed as the vehicle continued west on I-255 across the Jefferson Barracks Bridge into Missouri. Items valued at $611 were stolen, including Milwaukee tools, lithium batteries and an angle grinder.

Dylan M. Smith, 37, of Waterloo, was arrested for disorderly conduct at Uncle John’s RRR Bar, 141 S. Main Street, after allegedly threatening a security guard at the bar with physical violence. 

Dec. 7

Michael Patterson Jr., 46, was arrested for criminal trespass to a residence following an incident that occurred about 11 a.m. in the 500 block of West Mill Street. A vehicle driven by Patterson that left the scene of the incident was pulled over in Columbia a short time later. He was also arrested on a Collinsville warrant.