Crime & Safety

Man Charged With Drug-Intoxicated DWI Had Opiates in System, Police Say

The St. Louis man had three previous intoxicated driving convictions, Town and Country Police said.

*The following information was supplied by court documents. It does not indicate a conviction where an arrest was made.

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A St. Louis man was charged with driving while under the influence of drugs near the Ballas Road and South Outer 40 Drive intersection in Town and Country.

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A Town and Country Police officer said he had to swerve to avoid a collision with a car at 7:53 p.m. Aug. 23. He said the car driven by Richard Bellew, 63, was swerving between lanes on Ballas Road in Town and Country.

Bellew, of the 4700 block of South Broadway in St. Louis, was charged Thursday with DWI drug intoxication as an aggravated offender.

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When the officer stopped stopped the car and talked to Bellew, he smelled alcohol and noticed Bellew’s eyes were constricted.

A lab analysis detected opiates or morphine in Bellew’s system.

Bellew had three previous intoxication-related driving offenses. He was found guilty of DWI in Franklin County in July 2009; and was found guilty of driving with excessive blood-alcohol content in May 1996 and January 1995.

A warrant was issued Thursday for Bellew’s arrest. Bail was set at $15,000.

For more crime information on Town and Country-Manchester, see the following articles:


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