Christopher Joseph Zotta, 33, of Imperial has been charged as a persistent DWI offender after being stopped while allegedly driving erratically on Hwy. 21 west of De Soto, according to court records.
Zotta has been charged with felony persistent DWI and a misdemeanor count of driving with a revoked license. He as arrested on June 30, and as of July 2, he was being held on a $25,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, court and jail documents show.
According to a probable-cause statement filed by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Zotta was stopped in the 13200 block of Hwy. 21 on April 11. He was allegedly seen swerving between lanes, driving in the oncoming traffic lane and nearly driving into a ditch.
Zotta allegedly refused to perform field sobriety tests, but the deputy arrested him due to Zotta showing signs of impairment, the report said.
Zotta was charged as a persistent offender because in June 2023, he was found guilty of DWI causing a serious injury and for leaving the scene of an accident in St. Louis County. He also was found guilty of second-degree burglary in July 2024 in Jefferson County, court records said.
Zotta also had been convicted at least twice for driving with a revoked license in Jefferson County, once in August 2023 and again on Feb. 18, according to court documents.