Week In Review: O'Fallon Candidates Sues to Get on Ballot, St. Charles Welcomes New Chief and More

Too busy last week to stay up to date on all the news happening in and around St. Charles County? Not to worry. Patch has your back.

In case you missed them, here were some of the top headlines from the four St. Charles County Patch sites — St. Charles Patch, St. Peters Patch, O'Fallon Patch and Wentzville Patch — over the last few days:

O'Fallon

Ex-O'Fallon Candidate Files Lawsuit To Put Her Name Back on the Ballot

• Vicki Schneider, the Ward 5 O'Fallon City Council candidate who was booted off the ballot in January after officials failed to certify her candidacy, has filed a lawsuit against O'Fallon City Clerk Pam Clement in efforts to get her name back on the ballot. Schneider, a realtor and former state representative, says Clement refused to certify her candidacy based on an incorrect opinion that Schneider was behind on paying utility bills for properties she owned.

• Two weeks after pleading guilty to a burglary and theft, an 18-year-old man faces a criminal charge of stealing boots from Kohl’s department store in O’Fallon Sunday. Brian Chappel, 18, of the first block of East O’Fallon Drive in O’Fallon, was charged Monday with stealing as a third offense. If he’s found guilty, it would be Chappel's third stealing conviction within two years.

O'Fallon Chips in for Route 364 Extension

• The City of O'Fallon has agreed to put up $2.25 million to help cover additional costs for extending Route 364, based on the state committing to build interchanges or bridges at Highway K and Bryan Road. Route 364—or the Page Avenue extension—now connects Maryland Heights to St. Charles County but will ultimately offer motorists analternate route from Interstate 270 in Maryland Heights to Highway 40 near O'Fallon.

O'Fallon Duplex Catches Fire After Being Hit By Lightning

Two firefighters were injured while battling a fire at a duplex in O'Fallon Tuesday night. Authorities said that firefighters were called to investigate a lightning strike on the Tournament Tee Lane around 8 p.m., and when they arrived, heavy smoke could be seen coming from a nearby duplex unit. The fire was near the Highway K and Highay N intersection, nearby the The Links at Dardennegolf course.

St. Charles

St. Charles Teen Charged After Trading Pills for Cigarettes at Francis Howell North

• A St. Charles teen has been arrested and charged with two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with an intent to distribute after traded prescription bills for cigarettes. Michael Stewart, 18, of the 3000 block Willow Wood Drive, was charged Jan. 22 with two counts of intent to distribute a controlled substance relating to an incident on March 2, 2012, at Francis Howell North High School. According to the probable cause statement, police said that Stewart was in possession of five hydrocodone and acetaminophen, 0.5 grams of methylphenidate and one amphetamine pill.

St. Charles Sets Dates for Food Truck Events in Frontier Park

• St. Charles Parks and Recreation plans to host four Food Truck events in Frontier Park in 2013. The food truck events are scheduled for April 16, June 18, August 20 and Oct. 15—all Tuesdays—from 5 to 8 p.m. Park Director Maralee Britton said the department considered hosting events monthly from April to October but thought that might be too many.

Patches Quilt Shop to Close After 34 Years

• Patches, Etc., an iconic quilt shop on Main Street, will close this year after 34 years in St. Charles. Owner Chris Stergos announced her intention to close the shop in an email to customers sent out Jan. 24. "I am sorry to announce that Patches, etc. will be closing. I have decided it is time for me to move on. I have enjoyed every minute of my time owning the store and I feel blessed to have met such creative and wonderful people," the email read, in part.

New Police Chief Says Department Needs Stability

• On Feb. 5, Mayor Sally Faith will swear in the third leader for the St. Charles Police Department in less than a year. New Police Chief Randy McKinley started with the city Jan. 21. He previously served as police chief in Bloomington, Ill. for four years. McKinley's hire was approved by the St. Charles City Council in December after a six month search. 

St. Peters

St. Peters Police Arrest Walmart Shoplifter

• A woman police sought for stealing fromWalmart and assaulting an employee has been arrested. Cassandra Lee Hargraves, 29, of Mexico, Mo., was arrested and charged with one count of theft, a Class C felony, after police said she took $1,500 worth of merchandise from the St. Peters Walmart. 

Man Charged With Statutory Rape of 16-Year-Old Who Disappeared With Him

• A Wright City man who disappeared along with a 16-year-old girl was charged Friday with second-degree statutory rape. The girl had been listed as an endangered juvenile. The two returned Jan. 23 when they ran out of money, according to a police report.

Storm Water Design Contracts Presented to Board of Aldermen

• Thanks to the passage of Proposition P, St. Peters could begin working on storm water projects this summer. During the Jan. 24 meeting of the Board of Aldermen, Public Works and Services Manager Russ Batzel presented the board with a series of design contracts for 16 projects impacting 12 subdivisions in St. Peters. The contracts, which Batzel had portioned off to five consulting firms, add up to $418,000. The board will vote on the contracts at the Feb. 14 meeting. 

Two Arrested for Burglary of a St. Peters Apartment

• Two people were arrested and charged following a break-in at a St. Peters apartment. Robert McCray, 28, of the 10 thousand block of Cant Way Drive in Overland, was charged with one count second degree burglary and one count of theft of a firearm following an incident in the 500 block of Biltmore Way on Jan. 17. Also charged in the incident was Ashley Lappe, 24, of the 10th block of Cambourne Court in St. Peters. Lappe was charged with second degree burglary, theft stealing of a firearm and unlawful use of drug paraphernalia. 

Wentzville

Wentzville Police Asking for Help Finding Gas Station Robber

• The Wentzville Police Department issued a press release today asking for help identifying a suspect in an armed robbery. On Jan. 27, a white male entered the Amoco BP service station at 1450 South Service Road in Wentzville at about 7:40 p.m. and brandished a silver semi-automatic pistol and demanded that the cashier give him all of the money in the cash register. The cashier opened the cash register and handed over the cash, police reported.

Two Prisoners Indicted in Jailhouse Attack That Hospitalized Man

• Two men were indicted by a St. Charles grand jury Jan. 18 on second-degree assault charges related to a jailhouse attack on another man. A St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department report said that Robert E. Martin II, 39, and Steven T. Scott, 20, attacked another inmate in the St. Charles County Justice Center, 200 North Second St., on April 5.

Judge Denies Request to Lower Bond in Wentzville Barber Shop Shooting

• St. Charles County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Thornhill on Tuesday denied a bond reduction request for Lester Davis, who is accused of firing shots Dec. 18 at another man inside All Cuts Barber Shop in Wentzville.

• The Wentzville Fire District may be asking for a tax increase in August. The fire district, which covers 88 square miles of Wentzville, Foristell, Flint Hill and Josephville as well as part of Lake Saint Louis and unincorporated St. Charles County, has until May 28 to decide whether to put the increase on the August ballot.