Exposing Corruption, Injustices and the Truth.
| O'Fallon Watchdog |
| Watchdog Headlines ! |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| O'Fallon Watchdog |
Exposing Corruption, Injustices and the Truth.
A wreck of a night
By Steve Pokin
O'Fallon Journal
Crash into firehouse was a wake-up call
Saturday, April 28, 2007 12:33 PM CDT
A year ago, Steve Groeper, of Weldon Spring, had what most of us would consider a bad night. He drove his
$80,000 Dodge Viper into the Cottleville fire station on Motherhead Road.
His car was totaled and the damage to the firehouse would total $63,500. He personally paid for the repairs.
"It was definitely not a good evening," Groeper says.
But in one way the accident was fortunate, he says.
"You don't understand what is really important until something bad happens to you," he says. "My wife and I were
both in that car. We both could have easily been killed. My two kids could have been without parents."
Groeper, who turns 40 next month, until a year ago was a successful real estate developer. His St. Charles County
projects include the Heritage Trails subdivision, the old St. Charles Speedway property in St. Peters and the
former St. Charles Golf Course in St. Charles.
His life changed April 26, 2006, during the drive home from Travena's restaurant in Cottleville with his wife,
Debbie. He was eastbound on Highway N when he lost control at Motherhead Road.
He drove across the front lawn of the firehouse, flattening a young maple, and struck the brick building at an angle
about 11:40 p.m.
The crash damaged the office of Sandie Schene, office manager, who wasn't there. Photos show bricks and
pieces of Viper scattered across her desk.
Neither Groeper nor his wife was hurt; they were wearing seat belts.
Assistant Chief Scott Freitag was home, asleep, when he got the call.
"I was told that there was a car in the admin building," Freitag says. "I said, 'What do you mean there's a car in the
building?'"
A photo of the accident appeared two days later in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On April 30, a story ran in the
Suburban Journals. In neither case was the driver's name mentioned.
I eventually received a news tip that Groeper was the driver, that he was in a sports car, and that my newspaper
should follow up to find out if a ticket was issued and who paid for the damage to the firehouse.
I relayed the information to our St. Peters reporter at the time. I know she inquired, but soon after that she left the
paper.
In September - five months after the crash - Schene moved back into her office.
Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the crash. No ticket was ever issued and, as I said, Groeper paid for
the damage.
In fact, says Freitag, Groeper placed funds in an escrow account to ensure the fire district was made whole.
"At no time did we have any issue with this gentleman - other than when he put the car through the building,"
Freitag says.
Says Groeper, "I did not feel that the insurance company should have to pay for something stupid that I did."
According to the police report, Groeper was not impaired by drugs or alcohol. Cottleville Police Chief Scott Lewis
said Thursday that Groeper was given a field sobriety test, which he passed.
What did happen that night is something that I believe any couple with a few miles on the marriage odometer can
understand. Groeper and his wife had an argument while he was driving.
The police report states Groeper said something that "really agitated his wife so she reached over and grabbed
the steering wheel." Groeper told police he intended to slam on the brakes but instead buried the accelerator.
Groeper, according to the report, explained that the two pedals are very close on a Viper.
I spoke to Groeper on Wednesday.
"My wife and I have been together for 23 years," he says. "We never argue. But that night we got into an argument
and I told her to shut up. I thought she was nagging at me."
She tried to slap him, he says. At that moment his right hand was on the gearshift. He moved as best he cold to
avoid the slap and, instead, she hit his left arm, which caused the car to jerk out of control.
Groeper says he subsequently learned he didn't hit the wrong pedal. The sports car has only 2½ inches of
clearance, he says, and when he hit the curb his brake line snapped.
Contrary to what some might think, says Chief Lewis, it happens fairly often that no one is ticketed following an
accident.
"The officer on the scene has discretion," Lewis says.
An officer could write a ticket if he or she finds a probable contributing circumstance, such as fiddling with the
radio or talking on a cell phone, Lewis says.
I asked the chief if an argument with your wife might be considered such a circumstance.
Again, Lewis says, that call is best made by the officer at the scene.
Ultimately, it's up to the prosecutor to determine if a charge is pursued, says Jack Banas, St. Charles County
prosecuting attorney. That might be either a city or county prosecutor, depending upon the alleged violation, he
says. This particular case was not forwarded to Banas' office for review.
Police officers often are the only witnesses, or the first to arrive at the accident scene, Banas says. And if they
don't think the incident is worthy of a citation it can be difficult to successfully prosecute later, Banas says.
Over the past few years, I have talked to Groeper a handful of times regarding various development projects. He
pointed out to me that he hasn't been in the news in the past year.
Right after the accident he sold his business to refocus his life. He is living on savings. Groeper says his success
as a real estate developer came with a personal cost.
"I worked. I worked. I worked. And I worked. I was gone every day. Even when I was home I would be thinking
about work."
He remembers the day he met Debbie. "My friend asked her girlfriend for directions. We were 17. We have been
together since."
Their argument was rare, he says, but maybe it happened with such intensity because they'd let so much build up.
Groeper says they had started to take each other for granted. Debbie declined to be interviewed.
But in the past year, Groeper says, he's become a better husband and a better father to their two children, ages
12 and 16.
"I'm home now and I help my kids with their homework," he says. "I had never done that before. I go to all the
ballgames. I am a dad and I am a husband. And it's a good feeling. I feel better about it than any accomplishment I
have ever had in business."
Maybe when the children are away at college, he says, he and Debbie will choose their next "adventure" in life.
"I wish the wreck would have never happened," he says. "But I am glad that my wife and I woke up."
By Steve Pokin
O'Fallon Journal
Crash into firehouse was a wake-up call
Saturday, April 28, 2007 12:33 PM CDT
A year ago, Steve Groeper, of Weldon Spring, had what most of us would consider a bad night. He drove his
$80,000 Dodge Viper into the Cottleville fire station on Motherhead Road.
His car was totaled and the damage to the firehouse would total $63,500. He personally paid for the repairs.
"It was definitely not a good evening," Groeper says.
But in one way the accident was fortunate, he says.
"You don't understand what is really important until something bad happens to you," he says. "My wife and I were
both in that car. We both could have easily been killed. My two kids could have been without parents."
Groeper, who turns 40 next month, until a year ago was a successful real estate developer. His St. Charles County
projects include the Heritage Trails subdivision, the old St. Charles Speedway property in St. Peters and the
former St. Charles Golf Course in St. Charles.
His life changed April 26, 2006, during the drive home from Travena's restaurant in Cottleville with his wife,
Debbie. He was eastbound on Highway N when he lost control at Motherhead Road.
He drove across the front lawn of the firehouse, flattening a young maple, and struck the brick building at an angle
about 11:40 p.m.
The crash damaged the office of Sandie Schene, office manager, who wasn't there. Photos show bricks and
pieces of Viper scattered across her desk.
Neither Groeper nor his wife was hurt; they were wearing seat belts.
Assistant Chief Scott Freitag was home, asleep, when he got the call.
"I was told that there was a car in the admin building," Freitag says. "I said, 'What do you mean there's a car in the
building?'"
A photo of the accident appeared two days later in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. On April 30, a story ran in the
Suburban Journals. In neither case was the driver's name mentioned.
I eventually received a news tip that Groeper was the driver, that he was in a sports car, and that my newspaper
should follow up to find out if a ticket was issued and who paid for the damage to the firehouse.
I relayed the information to our St. Peters reporter at the time. I know she inquired, but soon after that she left the
paper.
In September - five months after the crash - Schene moved back into her office.
Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the crash. No ticket was ever issued and, as I said, Groeper paid for
the damage.
In fact, says Freitag, Groeper placed funds in an escrow account to ensure the fire district was made whole.
"At no time did we have any issue with this gentleman - other than when he put the car through the building,"
Freitag says.
Says Groeper, "I did not feel that the insurance company should have to pay for something stupid that I did."
According to the police report, Groeper was not impaired by drugs or alcohol. Cottleville Police Chief Scott Lewis
said Thursday that Groeper was given a field sobriety test, which he passed.
What did happen that night is something that I believe any couple with a few miles on the marriage odometer can
understand. Groeper and his wife had an argument while he was driving.
The police report states Groeper said something that "really agitated his wife so she reached over and grabbed
the steering wheel." Groeper told police he intended to slam on the brakes but instead buried the accelerator.
Groeper, according to the report, explained that the two pedals are very close on a Viper.
I spoke to Groeper on Wednesday.
"My wife and I have been together for 23 years," he says. "We never argue. But that night we got into an argument
and I told her to shut up. I thought she was nagging at me."
She tried to slap him, he says. At that moment his right hand was on the gearshift. He moved as best he cold to
avoid the slap and, instead, she hit his left arm, which caused the car to jerk out of control.
Groeper says he subsequently learned he didn't hit the wrong pedal. The sports car has only 2½ inches of
clearance, he says, and when he hit the curb his brake line snapped.
Contrary to what some might think, says Chief Lewis, it happens fairly often that no one is ticketed following an
accident.
"The officer on the scene has discretion," Lewis says.
An officer could write a ticket if he or she finds a probable contributing circumstance, such as fiddling with the
radio or talking on a cell phone, Lewis says.
I asked the chief if an argument with your wife might be considered such a circumstance.
Again, Lewis says, that call is best made by the officer at the scene.
Ultimately, it's up to the prosecutor to determine if a charge is pursued, says Jack Banas, St. Charles County
prosecuting attorney. That might be either a city or county prosecutor, depending upon the alleged violation, he
says. This particular case was not forwarded to Banas' office for review.
Police officers often are the only witnesses, or the first to arrive at the accident scene, Banas says. And if they
don't think the incident is worthy of a citation it can be difficult to successfully prosecute later, Banas says.
Over the past few years, I have talked to Groeper a handful of times regarding various development projects. He
pointed out to me that he hasn't been in the news in the past year.
Right after the accident he sold his business to refocus his life. He is living on savings. Groeper says his success
as a real estate developer came with a personal cost.
"I worked. I worked. I worked. And I worked. I was gone every day. Even when I was home I would be thinking
about work."
He remembers the day he met Debbie. "My friend asked her girlfriend for directions. We were 17. We have been
together since."
Their argument was rare, he says, but maybe it happened with such intensity because they'd let so much build up.
Groeper says they had started to take each other for granted. Debbie declined to be interviewed.
But in the past year, Groeper says, he's become a better husband and a better father to their two children, ages
12 and 16.
"I'm home now and I help my kids with their homework," he says. "I had never done that before. I go to all the
ballgames. I am a dad and I am a husband. And it's a good feeling. I feel better about it than any accomplishment I
have ever had in business."
Maybe when the children are away at college, he says, he and Debbie will choose their next "adventure" in life.
"I wish the wreck would have never happened," he says. "But I am glad that my wife and I woke up."
Watchdog Response:
It was described in the Journal as a “Wreck of a Night” but the story should have been entitled “A Whale of a
Tale” because it looks like the story was full of inaccuracies to down right lies. The Watchdog has obtained the
Cottleville Police report and the Cottleville Fire Department reports including the bills and estimates for the
repairs.
The Watchdog became very suspicious after reading the Journal article in April of 2006 shortly after the
accident occurred since the name of the individual was not mentioned. Sources had informed the Watchdog
that the driver of the Dodge Viper was Developer Extraordinaire Steve Groeper. So the Watchdog again
became suspicious when the Journal ran the puff piece in which Steve Groeper was allowed to give his version
of the accident, sprinkled with a few head scratching quotes from the Chief of Police in Cottleville Scott Lewis.
I think it is safe to say that when most people had heard a Dodge Viper had run into the Cottleville Fire
Department at around midnight after the driver had just left a local bar and grill that the driver probably had
been drinking, not so claims Groper. His claim was backed up by Chief Lewis who stated that he was given a
field sobriety test which he passed. Here is the problem with these two statements. First the police report says
absolutely nothing about the driver being given a field sobriety test. The police report has very little
information, which is surprising considering the amount of damage inflicted, the violent circumstances that
caused the wreck, not to mention that Groeper just left a bar and grill. There is another problem, the Cottleville
Fire Department report clearly states that the driver of the Dodge Viper was given a field sobriety test, placed
in handcuffs and taken away by the Cottleville Police. Oops! Now what is your story going to be Chief? Steve
are you really telling us the truth?
The Watchdog was told that there is no arrest report for this incident and no other files, videos or recordings
exists concerning the Groeper accident. The Watchdog finds that to be very odd since the Fire Department
report claims an arrest was made. Chief Lewis is also quoted to say no tickets were issued and that it is up to
the discretion of the officer on the scene. It sound like that officer made an arrest, but his report doesn’t reflect
it, why? Steve Groeper and his wife admittedly got into a physical altercation in which Groeper claims she
grabbed the steering wheel of a moving car and to hitting him. That is serious stuff, especially since it lead to a
major accident resulting in a lot of property damage. Again, no tickets, no arrest? Are you kidding me? Why
not?
Well, I will tell you why not. It is the relationships guys like Groeper have with municipalities and the news
media. To make it simple it is about money and power guys like this have in these two circles. Do you think
average Joe Citizen would have the same outcome from an accident such as this? No, Joe Citizen’s name
would have been plastered all over the paper, if Joe Citizen was handcuffed and hauled off by the police, it
would be in the report. Joe Citizen would also not have the Chief of Police working damage control for him
either.
I know this is not nearly as serious as the ex-chief Talbott situation and the questionable investigation that took
place in O’Fallon, but the same stench is coming off this case, and it smells like a cover-up.
It was described in the Journal as a “Wreck of a Night” but the story should have been entitled “A Whale of a
Tale” because it looks like the story was full of inaccuracies to down right lies. The Watchdog has obtained the
Cottleville Police report and the Cottleville Fire Department reports including the bills and estimates for the
repairs.
The Watchdog became very suspicious after reading the Journal article in April of 2006 shortly after the
accident occurred since the name of the individual was not mentioned. Sources had informed the Watchdog
that the driver of the Dodge Viper was Developer Extraordinaire Steve Groeper. So the Watchdog again
became suspicious when the Journal ran the puff piece in which Steve Groeper was allowed to give his version
of the accident, sprinkled with a few head scratching quotes from the Chief of Police in Cottleville Scott Lewis.
I think it is safe to say that when most people had heard a Dodge Viper had run into the Cottleville Fire
Department at around midnight after the driver had just left a local bar and grill that the driver probably had
been drinking, not so claims Groper. His claim was backed up by Chief Lewis who stated that he was given a
field sobriety test which he passed. Here is the problem with these two statements. First the police report says
absolutely nothing about the driver being given a field sobriety test. The police report has very little
information, which is surprising considering the amount of damage inflicted, the violent circumstances that
caused the wreck, not to mention that Groeper just left a bar and grill. There is another problem, the Cottleville
Fire Department report clearly states that the driver of the Dodge Viper was given a field sobriety test, placed
in handcuffs and taken away by the Cottleville Police. Oops! Now what is your story going to be Chief? Steve
are you really telling us the truth?
The Watchdog was told that there is no arrest report for this incident and no other files, videos or recordings
exists concerning the Groeper accident. The Watchdog finds that to be very odd since the Fire Department
report claims an arrest was made. Chief Lewis is also quoted to say no tickets were issued and that it is up to
the discretion of the officer on the scene. It sound like that officer made an arrest, but his report doesn’t reflect
it, why? Steve Groeper and his wife admittedly got into a physical altercation in which Groeper claims she
grabbed the steering wheel of a moving car and to hitting him. That is serious stuff, especially since it lead to a
major accident resulting in a lot of property damage. Again, no tickets, no arrest? Are you kidding me? Why
not?
Well, I will tell you why not. It is the relationships guys like Groeper have with municipalities and the news
media. To make it simple it is about money and power guys like this have in these two circles. Do you think
average Joe Citizen would have the same outcome from an accident such as this? No, Joe Citizen’s name
would have been plastered all over the paper, if Joe Citizen was handcuffed and hauled off by the police, it
would be in the report. Joe Citizen would also not have the Chief of Police working damage control for him
either.
I know this is not nearly as serious as the ex-chief Talbott situation and the questionable investigation that took
place in O’Fallon, but the same stench is coming off this case, and it smells like a cover-up.
Cottleville's Fire Districts Report
Cottleville's Police Departments Report
| Note: Mr. Groeper's driver license number and phone number have been omitted from this report |