ELSBERRY, Mo. — Elsberry Police Department took their plea to Facebook after two impaired drivers were pulled over in one traffic stop down the street from a school Thursday night.
Police released photos on Friday of the aftermath of a suspected drunk driver rear-ending a family of four that was going to watch a basketball tournament at Elsberry High School.
Witness Tim Lavy said he was going to watch his 8th grader play when he saw that his neighbor was in an accident.
"He was waiting to turn into here and someone who was drunk in a van ran into rear of his truck," Lavy said. "He just ran into him."
Chris Heatherly with the Elsberry Police Department said the suspect is a chronic offender and the crash was his 4th DWI arrest. He hasn't officially been charged yet, but police said his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.
That wasn't the only impaired driver that same officer stopped that night. "A citizen had seen a guy driving erratically," Heatherly said. That officer stopped the driver and conducted an investigation, where he determined the driver was under the influence of drugs.
The Elsberry Police Department said it needs the community's help to crack down on drunk and impaired driving.
"We can't do this by ourselves. We can't be everywhere," Heatherly said. "Have the public call us if they see someone driving erratically. Let us decide."
Police hope their plea will ease the concerns of parents. One parent with two little ones told 5 On Your Side, "It's a school. Of course, it's concerning. Anything for their safety, I'm worried about."
And police want the community to know, they can help protect each other. "You got to call us and help us stop him, it can save his or somebody else's life. We can maybe save lives and that's what we need to do," Heatherly said.
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