Dodging DWIs: Steven Castanedo

BY JOE MAHR, JEREMY KOHLER • jkohler@post-dispatch.com
AND BRIAN WILLIAMSON • bwilliamson@post-dispatch.com | Posted: Friday, October 9, 2009 11:59 am

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 Steven Castanedo's arrests and convictions.

Steven Castanedo has been arrested for DWI eight times.

He has one DWI conviction.

A Manchester municipal judge convicted Castanedo, 52, of Ballwin, of careless driving for his first offense, when police reported he registered double the legal alcohol limit. His second arrest, in Illinois, netted a DWI conviction.

For his third arrest back in Missouri, he got another deal — a reduced charge of improper lane usage — in Valley Park Municipal Court.

He and his attorney declined to comment.

Castanedo has five arrests pending in three courts. In all cases, he's charged as a first-time offender.

Court records don't indicate what plea deals, if any, are being considered.

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Posted in Local, State-and-regional, News, Multimedia on Friday, October 9, 2009 11:59 am Updated: 10:15 pm. | Tags: Dwi, Steven Castanedo, Joe Mahr, Jeremy Kohler, Brian Williamson, Dodging Dwis, Multimedia,