By Sunni Battin

Special to the Journal

HAWK POINT – A former Hawk Point police officer resigned earlier this month following a series of Lincoln County Journal articles reporting two driving while intoxicated arrests.

According to Hawk Point City Attorney Jesse Granneman, Nickolas Schnelle resigned his position July 2 after more than a year of service with Hawk Point Police. 

Schnelle went on leave following the Journal’s first article, published May 28, reporting two pending DWI charges. 

Prior to resigning, Schnelle pleaded guilty in June in St. Louis County to a reduced charge of operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner instead of the original driving while intoxicated charge. The judge also ordered him to pay court costs and a fine of $468.50 for the municipal ordinance violation.

Next month, Schnelle has a court hearing in Lincoln County for misdemeanor charges of DWI and exceeding posted speed limit (by 16-19 miles per hour) and an additional charge added earlier this month of blood alcohol content (BAC), stemming from a Nov. 2024 traffic stop. Per court records, Missouri State Highway Patrol Officer Robert Allee stopped Schnelle for speeding on Highway 47, near Gravens Road.

“While speaking with Schnelle, I observed his speech to be heavily slurred and slow. I detected a moderate odor of alcohol intoxicants coming from Schnelle as he spoke,” Allee stated in the probable cause statement filed with the Lincoln County Associate Court.

Allee said he then requested Schnelle to consent to field sobriety tests.

“He said, ‘Listen, I am not going to do any tests,’” Allee stated. “Schnelle then walked closer to me and stated, ‘I live right down the street.’ I advised Schnelle I did not care where he lives. I asked Schnelle if he would perform any tests for me and he said, ‘No.’”

Allee also alleges he saw Schnelle “stumble” after exiting his patrol car and coupled with his refusal to take a sobriety test, arrested him for DWI.

Prior to his arrest in Lincoln County, Schnelle was arrested for a DWI in St. Louis County on March 10, 2024, shortly before he started working for Hawk Point Police. A Maryland Heights police officer stopped Schnelle and attempted to administer a breathalyzer. According to a court document, Schnelle also refused in that instance and would later be charged with DWI after the initial arrest.

In both cases, the Department of Revenue issued an automatic suspension of Schnelle’s license after his refusal to submit to sobriety tests. Schnelle has a hearing July 31 in St. Louis County regarding the Director of Revenue case and another in Lincoln County on Aug. 1.

A hearing for the DWI, BAC, and exceeding speed limit misdemeanor charges is set for Aug. 5. in Lincoln County. According to a court document, Judge Michael Jacobs is presiding over the case, Travis Noble is representing Schnelle, and Jessica Geiger is the assistant prosecuting attorney. The DWI and BAC misdemeanor charges can carry up to a six-month jail term while the excessive speed charge has a maximum jail time of 15 days.