Missouri State Highway Patrol nets 40 drunken drivers in Troop F

Lake of the Ozarks, MO

Highway Patrol troopers in central Missouri were responsible for 40 of the 195 driving while intoxicated arrests over the July Fourth holiday weekend.

Officers in Troop C and Troop A each had about 30 DWI arrests.

Troop C covers counties in the eastern part of the state including St. Louis while Troup A includes Kansas City.

'The numbers are about normal for the size of the troop,' Highway Patrol Cpt. J. Tim Hull said.

Troop F officers in central Missouri also investigated 37 vehicle accidents, 24 of which had injuries. One was fatal.

At about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 3, Vincent T. Ward, 39, of Eldon, was killed after being thrown from the 2002 Silverado he was driving after crossing the center line, overcorrecting and running off the right side of the road.

The truck then overturned several times. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the Highway Patrol's report.

A passenger in the truck, Shelley P. Ward, 42, suffered minor injuries but refused treatment.

She was listed as wearing a selt belt.

The accident was on Route CC at Northridge Drive outside Eldon.

Highway Patrol started counting at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 3 and ended at 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 6.

Because this year's holiday was on a weekday, the counting period was extended to 78 hours compared to last year's 30-hour period.

Troopers made 50 DWI arrests during the 30-hour counting period last year, compared to this year's 195 over 78 hours.

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