A 57-year-old Franklin County woman was arrested after leading Eureka Police on a pursuit on I-44 that started at the Hwy. 109 entrance and ended at Antire Road, police reported. The pursuit began at about 7:30 p.m. Nov. 20 when Eureka Police were dispatched to I-44 after a motorist reported that an eastbound black 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee was driving erratically.
Eureka Police located the erratic driver at the Hwy. 109 entrance. While they attempted to stop the vehicle, it traveled across the center line and swerved back into its lane, the report said.
At one point, the Grand Cherokee swerved off the road like it was going to pull over, but then continued traveling east, at speeds between 16 and 45 mph and swerving between lanes, the report said.
At one point, the SUV stopped in the far-left lane, only to start traveling east again. The driver swerved off I-44 several times and increased her speed to 40 to 60 mph.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper set up stop sticks near the Hwy. 141 exit, but the Grand Cherokee moved to the left lane before swerving to the center lane to avoid the sticks. The driver pulled over just past the Hwy. 141 exit, near Antire Road, the report said.
The driver told officers she was confused and didn’t know where she was. She said she didn’t pull over earlier because she couldn’t find a place to and didn’t know police were behind her, the report said.
The woman was transported to St. Clare Hospital in Fenton for a blood test to determine her blood-alcohol level, Lt. David Wilson said. Then she was taken to the police station where she was booked and issued a summons to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for alleged improper lane use, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and driving without insurance, Wilson said.
On Dec. 8, Wilson said the police might also apply for a DWI charge, depending on the blood test result.