Man Leaves Accident on Blanchette Bridge, Racks Up Fourth DWI Charge in Two Years

A St. Charles man faces his fifth DWI charge within the last two years and his sixth alcohol-related driving charge overall. He was pulled over after leaving an accident scene at the Blanchette Bridge Wednesday, police said.

Bart Laster, 40, of the 1000 block of Cole Boulevard in St. Charles, was charged Wednesday with driving while intoxicated as an aggravated offender and leaving the scene of an accident.

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A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper said Laster was eastbound on Interstate 70 on the Blanchette Bridge when he caused an accident. He left the scene, but Maryland Heights Police later pulled him over.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper arrived and saw signs that Laster was drunk, including a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and bloodshot and glassy eyes. The trooper said his blood-alcohol content was 0.09 percent.

Laster has three previous alcohol-related driving convictions:

• He pleaded guilty July 19 to DWI on for an Aug. 7, 2011 incident in St. Peters
• He was found guilty in August 2007 of driving with excessive blood-alcohol content on June 10, 2007 in Woodson Terrace
• He pleaded guilty in November 2004 to DWI for an incident June 6, 2004 in Woodson Terrace.

Laster also faces two additional DWI charges in Town and Country and Creve Coeur. He has been charged with DWI for an incident May 5, 2011 in Town and Country and another incident on Sept. 6, 2011 in Creve Coeur.

Laster is being held in St. Louis County jail. Bail was set at $35,000.

For more crime information on Hazelwood Patch, see the following articles:

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• Hazelwood Crime: Man Steals $5 and a Cell Phone