An Oakville man faces his third alcohol-impaired driving charge after being pulled over on the Fourth of July.
William Blackwell, 49, of the 2500 block of Mariner Drive in Oakville, was charged July 4 with driving while intoxicated as a persistent offender, a felony.
Blackwell previously was convicted in 2005 for DWI in St. Louis County, and was convicted in 1998 of driving with excessive blood-alcohol content.
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St. Louis County Police said an officer saw Blackwell, driving a red Ford Explorer, make a right turn from southbound Telegraph Road onto westbound Gephardt Drive. During the turn, the Explorer swerved into the eastbound lane on Gephardt, the officer said.
The officer said he pulled the driver over and noticed Blackwell had alcohol on his breath, his movements were slow and unsteady and his speech was slurred. The officer reported that Blackwell told him he “could not and would not perform sobriety tests.”
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When Blackwell was arrested, he refused to take a breath test.
Bail was set at $40,000 for Blackwell.
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