Crime & Safety

Two Accidents in Four Minutes Leads to DWI, Leaving Scene Charges

The Mehlville driver hit another vehicle and kept driving, only to hit a privacy fence moments later, St. Louis County Police said.

A driver from Mehlville had two accidents within four minutes and left the scene of both accidents, police said.

A St. Louis County Police report said Robert D. Menkhus, 36, of the 4200 block of Ringford Avenue in Mehlville, was driving in the 4400 block of Butler Hill Road in South County on Nov. 23, 2011. He struck another car near Carriage Trace at about 1:25 a.m., but kept driving.

At 1:29 a.m., Menkhus struck a privacy fence at Old Lemay Ferry and Lemay Ferry roads, and also left the scene, police said.

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When St. Louis County Police officers pulled Menkhus over, they noticed a strong alcohol odor and said Menkhus had bloodshot and watery eyes.

He refused to perform sobriety tests and would not take a breathalyzer test. Later, when a blood sample was take, his blood-alcohol test showed a level of 0.15 percent, almost twice the legal limit of .08 percent.

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Menkhus was charged Nov. 6 with DWI as a persistent offender, a class D felony, and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

He previously was found or pleaded guilty to DWI in 2003 and 2001.

Bail was set at $15,000.

For more crime information on Mehlville-Oakville Patch, see the following articles:

  • Women Charged with Assaulting Police Officer
  • Meth Lab Found in Stolen Car After Police Chase


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