Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. C. Root says in an affidavit he stopped to check on a black Cadillac that was blocking the turn lane from Frederick onto I-29 on May 11. Sgt. Root said William Emry, the driver, was arrested for “operating a motor vehicle while in a drugged condition.” An affidavit also accused Emry of failing to register the vehicle, failing to display valid plates, and possessing drugs and paraphernalia.
Officials say damage to the vehicle suggested he’d been in an accident of some kind.
He’s charged with a class-c felony DWI as a chronic offender. Root says Emry has been convicted four times for DWI in Clay County, Jackson County, and Camdenton, and has a fifth conviction for excessive blood alcohol content in Camden County.
He faces from three to ten years in prison if convicted.
Emry told Associate Circuit Judge Rebecca Spencer he hasn’t had any alcohol for years, but has been attending AA, NA and a methadone clinic for about four years “because it’s legal.”
Judge Spencer scheduled the case for a preliminary hearing docket June 20 at 1:30 pm and continued bail at $10,000. Emry remains in the Buchanan County Jail.