Missouri – A St. Louis Circuit Court judge sentenced 25-year-old Ramon Chavez Rodriguez to 15 years in prison for a drunken driving crash that killed St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer David Lee while he was working a traffic incident on Interstate 70.
Officer Lee, 44, was on duty the morning of September 22, 2024, responding to another crash and setting out traffic cones when Chavez Rodriguez lost control of his vehicle and struck him.
Lee was critically injured and died later that day.
St. Louis Circuit Judge Madeline Connolly imposed the sentence, emphasizing that impaired driving decisions have irreversible consequences.
Chavez Rodriguez pleaded guilty in October to charges tied to the crash, including driving while intoxicated, causing the death of a law enforcement officer, and driving without a valid license, authorities said.
Investigators and prosecutors said Chavez Rodriguez had alcohol and multiple drugs in his system at the time of the crash. Reports indicate meth, ketamine, cocaine, and alcohol were in his system.
The sentencing hearing drew a heavy law enforcement presence, with numerous officers attending alongside Lee’s family, and advocates focused on impaired driving were also present.
