Daniel Joseph Chotrow, 27, of Festus, a persistent offender, was sentenced to 10 years in prison following a felony drug charge and multiple probation violations, according to court documents.
After Chotrow pleaded guilty to the drug charge, Jefferson County Div. 6 Circuit Judge Troy A. Cardona sentenced him on March 19 to seven years in prison. In addition, Cardona executed a 10-year prison term and a seven-year term stemming from previous convictions Chotrow was on probation for, the report said.
The terms are to be served concurrently, or at the same time. They also are to be served concurrent with a three-year term he previously was sentenced to, according to the report.
On Aug. 20, 2017, a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper spotted Chotrow on Hwy. 67 driving a Pontiac Sunfire with an expired license plate that was registered to different vehicle and pulled him over, a probable-cause statement said.
Chotrow told the trooper he did not have his driver’s license, provided a fake name and said the car belonged to a friend. During the stop, the trooper observed an orange cap to a syringe in Chotrow’s waistband and asked him to step out of the car and placed him in handcuffs, the report said.
The trooper asked Chotrow if the syringe had been used, and Chotrow said he had used it. The trooper also asked if there was anything else illegal in the Pontiac, and Chotrow said there was a box under the front passenger seat. The trooper located the box, which was attached by magnets to the seat frame, and found two syringes, a digital scale with white residue and two baggies containing a crystal substance, which later tested positive as meth, according to the report.
Two days after the arrest, the person whose name Chotrow gave the trooper called the Highway Patrol to say he was being falsely charged with possession of a controlled substance and that his brother “probably” used his name and told the trooper his brother was Daniel Chotrow, the report said.
The trooper who pulled over Chotrow reviewed a photo of him from the Department of Revenue and recognized him from the traffic stop. The trooper also discovered Chotrow was wanted in Festus on an active warrant, according to the report.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony in connection with the case.
Jefferson County assistant prosecuting attorney Jacob T. Costello handled the case.
In July 2015, Chotrow broke into a Festus home through a basement window and stole a small amount of change. He pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary, a felony, and misdemeanor stealing and in January 2016, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the burglary and 120 days in jail for the stealing, but after completing a long-term treatment program he was released on five years’ probation. But, Cardona executed that term since Chotrow violated the probation, the report said.
In February 2011, Chotrow, acting with an accomplice, stole musical instruments and numerous other items from vehicles in Crystal City. Chotrow pleaded guilty to felony stealing in that case, and in August 2011, he was sentenced to seven years, but after completing a treatment program, he was released on five years’ probation. Cardona also executed that sentence, the report said.
In February 2009, Chotrow, along with an accomplice, set fire to a recycling bin on the Festus R-6 Schools campus, causing $478 in damage. He pleaded guilty to knowingly burning, a felony, and in January 2011, he was sentenced to three years, but the sentence was suspended, and he was placed on five years’ probation. However, he violated the probation, and in January 2017, the three-year term was executed.
Chotrow currently is in the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre.