(Information in this report is gathered from police agencies, county courts and emergency radio dispatch. The public is reminded that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty and charges may sometimes be dropped or changed as part of the legal process.)

Columbia Police

Sept. 15

Qui R. Xie, 39, of Columbia was arrested at 2631 Columbia Lakes Drive for domestic battery after allegedly striking a family member with a plastic coat hangar across the arms.

Sept. 19

Police are investigating a burglary at Red Roof Liquor & Lottery, 301 Southport Drive. At about 4 a.m., the front glass door of the business was broken out and three Black men left the store with six bottles of alcohol. The store was closed at the time of the incident. The suspects sped away in a silver SUV. The license plates on the suspect vehicle did not match the SUV, police said. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call 618-281-5151.

Sept. 21

Local law enforcement agencies were put on alert for a black pickup truck with Missouri plates that is possibly connected to multiple crimes. The theft of meat from the deli at Schnucks in Columbia was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m., with a black truck being the suspect vehicle. A Columbia officer observed a black truck with Missouri plates and an orange spoiler on the back run a red light on Route 3 in Columbia and continue at a high rate of speed north out of town. It is believed this same truck is related to an earlier incident that occurred on Telegraph Road in St. Louis County. 

Millstadt Police

Sept. 20

A local church reported that their secretary was a victim of fraud. She received an email from what she thought was from the pastor, telling her to buy several hundred dollars worth of Google Play gift cards as a surprise for church staff. She bought the cards and was to take a picture of the card’s redeemable code and send that back to the email address. Luckily, the pastor came to work right before she was able to do this. She had purchased the cards from Millstadt IGA, which refunded her money.  

Monroe County Sheriff

Sept. 11

Railroad traffic was halted temporarily after a vehicle went off the roadway at the intersection of Bluff Road at Outlet Road and ended up stuck on the tracks. The vehicle, a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by 68-year-old Martin Ray Aubuchon, was observed by an arriving deputy to be on the westbound railroad tracks approximately 50 yards off Bluff Road facing north. Aubuchon told police he was following his global positioning system while traveling north on Bluff Road due to not being familiar with the area. The driver stated that upon approaching the railroad crossing, he inadvertently made a right turn which resulted in his vehicle leaving the roadway and becoming stuck on the tracks. No injuries were reported.

Sept. 12

A medical issue looks to be the cause of a crash on Route 3 about midnight. A passenger in a 2006 Ford Ranger driven by Scott E. Hojnacki, 43, told police the driver lost consciousness, causing the northbound vehicle to cross over the southbound lane of traffic and enter into a bean field on the west side of Route 3. The driver was transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County.

Sept. 14

A man who fired a gun in his garage in Hecker following an argument with his spouse was detained by police during a tense situation. The incident occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. in the 300 block of South Main Street. Deputies were informed prior to arrival that the caller had seen a man holding a gun, then heard a gun shot and believed someone had been shot. Deputies arrived and located a male individual who was in a detached garage holding a gun in his hand. Deputies contacted the individual and gave verbal commands for him to drop the gun. After a short time, the man complied and sat the gun down. A short time later, he started refusing commands. With additional firearms being in close reach, deputies deployed a Taser to assist in detaining the individual. It was determined no one had been shot, and several firearms were seized as evidence. The man was transported to a hospital for evaluation.

Waterloo Police

Sept. 12

Douglas G. Wilson, 26, of Waterloo, was arrested for retail theft (under ringing) at Walmart, 961 N. Market Street.

James H. Gallagher, 43, of Waterloo, was issued city violations at 2 a.m. for loud noise, selling alcohol after hours and owner of premises permitting violation at Uncle John’s RRR Bar, 141 S. Main Street.

Sept. 15

Tiffany N. Nations, 25, of Smithton, was issued a city ordinance violation shortly after 1:35 a.m. for selling alcohol after hours at Uncle John’s RRR Bar, 141 S. Main Street.