Former state rep Kevin Elmer charged with misdemeanor DUI

A local lawmaker-turned-labor judge is facing a misdemeanor charge in Christian County after his arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Former state representative Kevin Elmer was pulled over on Friday, July 19, near the intersection of Main Street and Scott Wayne Drive, according to a probable cause statement written by a Nixa police officer.

The officer had been dispatched to the area around the nearby Walmart after a report of someone driving a Ford truck over curbs and through grass areas in the parking lot.

When the officer approached Elmer’s truck, he noticed a “strong odor of intoxicants” coming from the vehicle and wrote that Elmer’s eyes were “blood shot, watery and glassy,” according to the report.

The officer then conducted multiple tests that indicated Elmer’s blood-alcohol level was above 0.20 and placed him under arrest, the report said.

The officer also reported that Elmer became verbally argumentative before and between the tests, telling the officer “f--- you lets get this over with” as the officer read the justification for a chemical test of Elmer’s breath and calling him a “dumb m----- f-----” when the officer tried to explain why a second test was necessary.

The officer then read Elmer his rights and searched Elmer’s truck, where he found a blue Solo cup that smelled and looked like beer, according to the report.

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A criminal summons was issued last month; an arraignment is set for Jan. 15.

Reached Friday, Elmer referred questions on the matter to his attorney, Joe Passanise.

Passanise provided a statement Monday: "Kevin Elmer is a good man with no prior criminal record. He truly regrets his past actions and sincerely apologizes to the community and his family."

Elmer, an attorney by trade, served in the Missouri House from 2011 to 2015 and sponsored some high-profile bills during his time in the chamber, including one that became law establishing a 72-hour waiting period for abortions.

The Nixa Republican also sponsored versions of a bill that eventually passed in 2017 making it harder to sue an employer for discrimination and other legislation tying teacher evaluations to student performance.

In 2014 and 2016, he ran for local judicial seats, to no avail.

Former Gov. Eric Greitens, a fellow Republican, appointed him to his current position as an administrative law judge at the state Department of Labor in 2017.

The department's administrative law judges generally oversee workers’ compensation cases.

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