(Editor’s note: Information in this report is gathered directly from area 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 reduced as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police
May 2 – Shirley M. Wright, 49, of Columbia, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant on Valmeyer Road at D Road.
May 2 – Travis A. McBride, 22, of St. Louis, was arrested for unlawful use of a weapon, speeding and driving on a suspended license on Admiral Parkway at Carl Street.
May 5 – Dennis L. Moore, 65, of Dupo, was arrested for DUI and driving on a suspended license at 531 Old State Route 3.
May 6 – Matthew R. Gadeken, 31, of Edwardsville, was arrested for DUI, following too closely, and improper lane usage on I-255 northbound.
May 7 – Ryan W. Brady, 24, of Columbia, was arrested for DUI, speeding and no insurance, and also on a St. Clair County warrant for DUI on South Main Street and Centerville Road.
May 9 – Columbia police assisted firefighters with a stove fire at 24 Fieldcrest Drive about 9 a.m. CPD Sgt. Josh Bayer was first on scene and observed heavy smoke pouring out of the condo. Bayer used an extinguisher to knock down the flames prior to firefighter arrival. “If Josh wouldn’t have gotten there when he did, we would have had a working structure fire,” Columbia Assistant Fire Chief Jim Broshears said. A woman was able to exit her residence without injury, Broshears said. A fireman was able to save two cats from inside the home. The condo sustained smoke damage throughout.

Monroe County Sheriff
May 3 – Raymond Melching, 42, of Ellis Grove, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant on Route 3 at Warren Drive.
May 5 – Michael Crockett, 44, of Waterloo, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant.
May 5 – Deputies assisted the Red Bud Fire Department in responding to the area of 9500 LL Road in rural Red Bud shortly before 9 p.m., after a Jeep driven by 18-year-old Arizona Phoenix of Ruma got stuck in high water on the roadway. No injuries were reported in the incident. Phoenix escaped from the submerged vehicle and stood on its roof until emergency responders arrived.
May 7 – Christopher Brigance, 27, of Waterloo, was cited for failure to report a crash, failure to notify of change of address and no insurance after his truck crashed into a creek on JJ Road.
May 8 – Jeff Herring, 39, of Valmeyer, was arrested for possession of methamphetamine in the 300 block of S. Cedar Bluff in Valmeyer.
May 8 – Dwayne Metzger, 49, of Waterloo, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of a controlled substance (heroin) following a Dec. 12 incident.

St. Clair County Sheriff
May 6 – Devion D. Wadlington, 22, of St. Louis, was arrested on a Monroe County warrant and for resisting arrest and obstructing ID following an incident at the MetroLink station in Washington Park.

Valmeyer Police
May 5 – Patrick G. Weimer Jr., 23, of Valmeyer, was arrested for battery after allegedly striking and biting Bruce Czapla on Andres Court.

Waterloo Police
May 6 – Phil Hudson, 28, of Valmeyer, was arrested on a St. Clair County warrant on Route 3 at Rose Lane.
May 7 – Daniel Staub, 30, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI and illegal squealing of tires on Route 3 south of Vandebrook Drive.
May 7 – Angela Baker, 49, of Waterloo, was arrested for DUI (drugs) and possession of a hypodermic syringe in the Schnucks parking lot.