Police Officer James R. Reifschneider

James R. Reifschneider

Officer Reifschneider was struck and killed by a drunk driver while on I-270. He was standing by the driver's side door of a stalled vehicle talking with the driver when a 19-year-old youth struck him and dragged him 150 feet down the roadway. The suspect fled the scene. The suspect was found passed out in the back seat of his vehicle parked in front of his residence. It was later discovered he had crashed into a parked vehicle near his residence before he got home.

The youth admitted he had been drinking a lot and did not remember the accident. Almost a year later he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 years in prison. Three months later a judge ruled his sentence was too harsh and reduced it to two years.

Officer Reifschneider had been a member of the St. Louis County Police Department for 16 years and was survived by his wife, two sons, and daughter.