MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
a division of the
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
Troop B Headquarters - 308 Pine Crest Drive - Macon, Missouri 63552
NEWS RELEASE
For further information please contact:
Sergeant Eric F. Brown
660-385-2132
April 27, 2017
B17037
EMPHASIS:
Wrong Way Driver Arrested
On April 27, 2017, at 11:32 p.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol Headquarters Troop B Headquarters began receiving multiple reports on its emergency line of a vehicle traveling southbound, in the northbound lanes, of U.S. Highway 63 near Jacksonville, MO. Two troopers responded to the area to search for the suspect vehicle.
For the safety of the public, one trooper stopped the northbound traffic on U.S. 63 near the Moberly airport. The trooper also deployed spike strips to disable the vehicle if needed. The second trooper located the suspect vehicle near Cairo, MO. The vehicle was still traveling southbound in the northbound lanes. The vehicle continued to travel south in the northbound lanes of U.S. 63, and struck the spike strips, successfully disabling the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was arrested for driving while intoxicated
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drugs and driving the wrong way on a divided highway.
The numerous calls from the public were instrumental in locating the suspect vehicle, preventing a crash, and removing an intoxicated driver from Missouri’s roadways. Captain James E. Wilt, the commanding officer of Troop B, Macon, encourages the public to contact the Troop B Headquarters anytime they come upon a crash or observe a vehicle driving in a dangerous manner. The nonemergency line for the Troop B Headquarters is 660-385-2132. The statewide emergency number for the Missouri State Highway Patrol is *55.
The charges for which the individual was arrested for are mere accusations and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence in support of the charges must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
The only 100 percent survivable traffic crash is the one that never happens. Make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint. Every day as we travel on Missouri’s roadways, we trust that every driver on the road is going to obey the speed limit, pay attention, and drive sober.
“Don’t Violate The Trust.”
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