A 53-year-old man and 35-year-old woman, both from Eureka, are suspected of driving while intoxicated when the woman was chasing the man on Hwy. 109 before losing control of her car and causing an accident, Eureka Police reported.
Officers were called at about 6:55 p.m. Aug. 9 to the intersection of Hwy. 109 and East Fifth Street. The woman was trapped in her car under a tractor-trailer after she allegedly hit another car that was stopped at a traffic signal, the report said.
The woman was seriously injured, and she was transported by the Eureka Fire Protection District to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County, according to the report.
When officers arrived, the man got out of a black 2018 Tesla, and he allegedly said the woman who was trapped in the 2002 Infiniti was his girlfriend. He allegedly told officers he was waiting at the nearby Culver’s restaurant, 400 Meramec Blvd., when he heard about the crash, the report said.
However, witnesses said the man had been driving the Tesla at a high rate of speed on southbound Hwy. 109 and was being chased by the Infiniti. The witnesses also said the tires of the Tesla screeched when the man turned onto East Fifth Street, and the woman lost control of the Infiniti when she tried to make the right turn, according to the report.
After the woman lost control of her car, she allegedly hit a 2020 Toyota Prius, which was being driven by Michael Mauer, 60, of Eureka, and was stopped at a red light. The Infiniti then crashed into a 2016 Kenworth tractor-trailer, which was being driven by Leonard Beach, 59, of Spokane Valley, Wash., and was stopped at a yield sign on West Fifth Street waiting to turn right onto southbound Hwy. 109, the report said.
No injuries were reported for Mauer or Beach.
While an officer talked to the man who had been driving the Tesla, he allegedly smelled alcohol on the man’s breath. The man allegedly told the officer he had not been drinking and had used mouthwash before leaving home, the report said.
Officers then accessed Flock license-plate reading cameras and allegedly saw the Tesla pass Eureka High School, 4525 Hwy. 109, at 6:52 p.m. The officers then saw the Tesla at the intersection of Hwy. 109 and East Fifth Street at 6:53 p.m., according to the report.
The distance between the two cameras is approximately 2,787 feet, and officers determined the Telsa was going about 73.1 mph, the report said.
The man was asked to perform field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed. He was arrested and taken to the Police Station, where he allegedly registered a .161 percent blood-alcohol content, according to the report. In Missouri, .08 percent is the legal limit.
A witness also told officers when she checked on the woman in the Infiniti, she smelled alcohol.
The woman also allegedly said she had been arguing with the man and had chased him on Hwy. 109, the report said.
Officers followed the ambulance to the hospital, and the woman allegedly gave permission for her blood to be tested, according to the report.
As of Monday, Aug. 26, Eureka Police were waiting for the blood test results before pursuing charges against the woman. The man was released to a sober driver with summons to appear in Eureka Municipal Court for alleged DWI and careless and imprudent driving, Capt. Michael Werges said.