Dodging DWIs: Norma Monsivais
The public service ads tout the basic theme: You drink. You drive. You lose. But that’s often not the case in metro St. Louis. Lenient plea deals, secrecy laws and outright mistakes have allowed most DWI offenders — including many chronic offenders — to avoid serious punishment — in a system-wide breakdown that has claimed lives in Missouri and Illinois. Explore this map and timeline of Norma Monsivais’s arrests and convictions.
In her seven DWI arrests, Monsivais has driven the wrong way down an interstate, parked on a bridge with her doors open, and led police on a five-mile slow-speed chase.
One thing she hasn’t done: faced a felony charge.
A review of her record shows she first qualified for a felony in June 2007.
That’s when a St. Louis County police officer stopped Monsivais, a nurse, for weaving along I-55. She had three prior DWI arrests; two of those cases had resulted in convictions.
Still, the officer sent the case to the county’s municipal court.
The same thing happened when Maryland Heights police arrested her for DWI No. 5 in January 2008, and when Kirkwood police arrested her for DWI No. 6 three weeks later.
Her sixth DWI arrest came after she led police on a chase from Kirkwood to Des Peres, driving between 15 and 50 mph on I-44 and I-270. She stopped only after three patrol cars boxed her in.
A Kirkwood Municipal Court clerk said its case was eventually sent to county prosecutors for a felony charge. County prosecutors said they never got the request.
County prosecutors said they did get a request to handle Monsivais’ seventh DWI arrest — when St. Louis County police found her in December in a stopped car on the wrong side of the road.
By then, according to Monsivais’ driving record, she had racked up a third DWI conviction. That’s one more than required for a felony.
But county prosecutors said they found only two priors in their computer search, and prosecutors said one of the cases wasn’t usable because the records didn’t contain a special form indicating a guilty plea.
A review of records shows that court did send county prosecutors a computer printout confirming she had pleaded guilty, but not a special plea form.
So for her seventh arrest, she faces a misdemeanor. The case is pending.
She could not be located for comment.
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This women is a NURSE???? Sorry but this women shouldn’t be allow to administer drugs to a fish much less a human being. I personally think that if you fail a sobriety test and refuse a breath test the law should be made so they can take it by blood sample. As far as those that say it violates a accused persons rights I say she violated my rights to drive down the road without being killed by her. We are becoming far to concerned with criminals rights and not concerned enough for the victims. No where does the Constitution say you have the right to operate a 6000LB missile while drunk.
This drunk has a professional License-The State Board of Nursing should be kicking her gluteus maximus. I hope every medical facility in Mo. sees this article.
The Missouri State Board of Nursing revoked her nursing license. She is not licensed!
[...] serious punishment — in a system-wide breakdown that has claimed lives in Missouri and Illinois. This map and timeline are part of a multi-part series on the systemic failings in the prosecution of repeat [...]