OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — Officers arrested a man on DWI and meth charges—as well as an array of traffic violations—after he reportedly drove across a golf course, and drove over 100 miles per hour before blowing out his front tires near Menards in Lake Ozark.
According to the Osage Beach Police Department, a call came in at around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, reporting a car driving eastbound in the westbound lanes of Highway 54 near Big Surf, at the western edge of Osage Beach.
Another call about 10 minutes later reported the vehicle appeared to be driving on Tan Tar A’s golf course and then began driving on the wrong side of the road along Highway KK, without its headlights on. (A golf course staffer on Monday said he had not heard any reports of a person driving a car on the course.)
About 10 minutes later, the department says a Linn Creek Police Officer reported seeing the vehicle run a red light at the intersection of Highway KK and Osage Beach Parkway. An Osage Beach officer located the vehicle—a 2002 Dodge Stratus—a few minutes later and was in pursuit, with the driver refusing to stop.
The car reportedly entered Highway 54 from Case Road, traveling east in the westbound lanes, still without headlights on. The driver, William Smith, led officers on a wild chase through Osage Beach and Lake Ozark on Highways 54 and 242 as well as Osage Beach Parkway and Bagnell Dam Boulevard, reportedly exceeding 100 miles per hour at least once. A Lake Ozark officer attempted to use stop sticks, but the driver swerved off the road and avoided them.
He was finally stopped when the car’s front tires blew out, in the median, near Menards.
Smith was taken into custody and charged with:
- Driving While Intoxicated
- Careless and Imprudent Driving,
- Exceeding the Posted Speed Limit by 26 Miles Per Hour
- Possession of a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine)
- Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Resisting Arrest by Fleeing
- Failure to Display Headlights
He is being held in the Camden County Jail on $1,000 cash or $15,000 surety bond.
