ST. LOUIS — A 24-year-old man from St. Peters pleaded not guilty Wednesday to striking and killing a St. Louis police officer while speeding down Interstate 70 last month.
Ramon Arnaldo Chavez-Rodriguez, a Honduran national, closed his eyes and bowed his head as he listened through a translator to the charges facing him — DWI resulting in the death of a police officer, speeding and operating a vehicle without a valid license.
Those charges stem from the death of St. Louis police Officer David Lee, who was responding to a different crash on I-70 near North Grand Avenue on Sept. 22 when a Kia Sorrento spun out on the rainy road, pinned Lee between two vehicles and then threw him several feet.
Charges say the Kia’s driver, Chavez-Rodriguez, was going 71 mph in a posted 55 mph zone seconds before the crash. He also had a blood alcohol content of .10 — over the legal limit of .08 — two hours later, investigators said.
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On Wednesday, Chavez-Rodriguez’s lawyer Shawn Goulet said he would not argue for a lower bond in the case, which is common during initial court hearings along with not guilty pleas, because federal immigration authorities and courts in St. Charles County have also ordered Chavez-Rodriguez to stay in jail.
Goulet declined to answer questions from reporters after the hearing but said he was upset about media coverage of his client’s case and public opinion about immigration in general.
“The political climate right now is horrible,†he said, “and the hate that’s going toward some people is horrible.â€
He urged patience for the process to play out.
“Justice will work its way through here,†Goulet said. “No one will get a free pass, but they shouldn’t be vilified in the news.â€
Chavez-Rodriguez had a history of criminal convictions in St. Charles County before Lee’s death.
In 2020, police said he kicked down the door of a home he shared with a woman, beat her and then took her baby and drove away. He was drunk at the time, charges said.
He pleaded guilty two years later to second-degree assault and was sentenced to five years of probation. Two DWI charges, including one for driving drunk with a minor in the vehicle, were dropped, according to court documents.
St. Charles County officials said last week they had notified the U.S. Department of Homeland Security following Chavez-Rodriguez’s arrest, but it’s unclear what happened after that. Homeland security officials have not responded to requests for comment.
A hearing about Chavez-Rodriguez’s immigration status had been set for next month, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore said at a news conference last week.
Chavez-Rodriguez’s next court date in his St. Louis criminal case is set for Oct. 30.