Alcohol-related offenders getting younger
February 13, 2010
St. Charles County, MO
St. Charles County Municipal Court Judge Tim Lohmar spoke to Fort Zumwalt South High School students Friday, Feb. 12 about an apparent trend of young people appearing before the bench on alcohol-related offenses.
“They are getting younger every year,” said Lohmar.
He said that 20 percent of 8th graders say they’ve been drunk at least once. The percentage climbs to 58 percent for 12th graders.
“Even more alarming is that 28 percent of 15 to 20 year old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking.” Lohmar said.
This issue has been getting much attention lately. On Feb. 3, Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price addressed the House of Representatives and said that putting more nonviolent offenders in prison is not an answer to Missouri’s drunk driving problems.
“It is costing us billions of dollars and it is not making a dent in crime,” Price said during his speech to legislators. “We may have been tough on crime, but we have not been smart on crime.”
As prom season approaches, Lohmar also plans to speak to students at Fort Zumwalt West and Francis Howell Central.
Lohmar, of O’Fallon, was appointed as the county’s first municipal judge in 2007. He previously served as prosecuting attorney for the City of St. Charles, an assistant prosecutor for the City of O’Fallon and a municipal judge in Moscow Mills. Lohmar is a partner in the law firm Lohmar, Staebell and Burlison in St. Peters.
Copyright 2010 Neighbors About Town
