(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

March 15

Carl Willyard, 39, of Cahokia, was charged with resisting arrest, felony driving while license suspended (10th offense) and no insurance after running from a traffic stop on Admiral Trost Drive near Hampton Inn shortly before 11 p.m. He was apprehended behind the hotel about 2:30 a.m.

March 20

David P. Mooney, 47, of Renault, was arrested for reckless conduct, criminal damage to property and domestic battery at 625 N. Main Street.

March 21

Sheena Lee Young, 31, of Herculaneum, Mo., was arrested for DUI.

A small red Hyundai car with a white male driver failed to pull over after an officer attempted to conduct a stop for a traffic violation about 2 p.m. on northbound I-255. The vehicle took Exit 9 in Dupo and was last seen traveling south on Old Route 3 toward Columbia. Assisting officers were unable to locate the vehicle. 

A non-injury crash occurred about 3 p.m. on Route 3 at South Main Street. A 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by James Aarns, 60, of Addieville, struck the rear of a 2013 Chrysler 200 convertible driven by Ellis Cook, 39, of Marion. Aarns was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. 

Millstadt Police

March 9

Sarah F. Garner, 35, of Millstadt, was arrested on two counts of domestic battery on Harvest Street.

March 17

Police responded to Central Bank, 3 E. Washington Street, for an elderly female being scammed over the phone. “The officer met with the (bank) manager, who reported the customer had received a call from a man who identified himself as her grandson,” Millstadt police said. “The individual told her he had been in an accident in St. Louis and needed over $5,000 to get out of jail because he hit a diplomat. The officer spoke with the customer. She told him the caller didn’t sound like her grandson and when she told the man this, he became upset and said he severely hurt his neck and was having trouble talking. Another man who identified himself as a lawyer came on the phone and told the customer to get the money and return home within an hour. He would then call her with further instructions. He told her several times she was ‘under oath’ and not to tell anyone.” The bank contacted the customer’s daughter and grandson. The grandson spoke with his grandmother and assured her everything was fine and he was not in jail or injured. The officer told the customer the scammer would probably call her back. The officer spoke to her later in the day and learned the scammer did indeed call her back. “She told him where she thought he could go in the next life,” police said.  

Monroe County Sheriff

March 15

A 2021 Toyota Camry driven by Michael Wuerz, 77, of Waterloo, pulled out in front of a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Courtney Heimburger, 21, of Waterloo, on H Road at Willow Bend Lane at about 2:45 p.m. A passenger in the Malibu was transported to Mercy Hospital South for treatment of an injury. Wuerz was cited for improper left turn.

March 17

Michael A. Lacey, 38, of Festus, Mo., was charged with possession of methamphetamine following a June 17, 2020 incident.

Charles E. Gardner, 50, of Coulterville, was charged with felony theft (control/intent) following a Dec. 2 theft of wooden pallets that were the property of Gateway FS.

March 18

A man believed to be wanted for questioning in recent Monroe County burglaries ran away from a 3 a.m. traffic stop on Bluff Road at Sand Bank Road. Police pulled over a red Chevrolet Cavalier for an equipment violation. A male occupant exited the car and ran southwest toward Sackman Field Airport. He was never located. Two other occupants of the car, Nicole L. Cumberland, 34, of Cahokia, and Joseph K. Dilbeck, 33, of Caseyville, were  each charged with two counts of burglary for November and March incidents in the 2700 and 3000 blocks of Steppig Road. 

Emergency personnel responded to the area of Bluff Road near KK Road shortly after 8 p.m. for a vehicle that was stuck on the railroad tracks. The vehicle occupants exited without incident, and Union Pacific was notified to stop all oncoming trains to prevent them from striking the unoccupied vehicle. All train traffic was stopped in time. 

March 19

A burglary reported at Route 3 Bar & Grill, 6180 State Route 3 south of Waterloo, is under investigation. The burglary is believed to have occurred about 2 a.m. 

Waterloo Police

March 20

A Waterloo man was injured when the bicycle he was riding was struck at the intersection of Route 3 and South Market Street/Vandebrook Drive about 4:30 p.m. The bicyclist, Jeff Clinebell, was transported to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County for treatment of a leg injury. He was wearing his helmet. The driver of the 2010 Buick Enclave that struck Clinebell, Roger McNalley, 76, of Waterloo, was not cited in the incident.