Part 1: Clayton DWI Cases Wind Through Courts

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article used incorrect terminology in reference to the four defendants whose cases have concluded. They received a suspended imposition of sentence. This article has been updated to reflect the correct terminology.

Nine people whose criminal cases are at various stages in the have at least one thing in common: All were arrested this year, in part, on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Clayton.

Other findings in a Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch analysis of court records:

• Seven of the nine defendants are younger than age 30.

• Five of the cases have been resolved. Of those, four defendants received a suspended imposition* of sentence along with some form of probation. The remaining defendant pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated and received a $200 fine.

• Only two of the defendants live in Clayton.

• Only one of the defendants was arrested solely on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Others were also arrested on suspicion of such offenses as careless and reckless driving; improper lane use; illegally parking in a taxi, limousine or bus stand; operating a vehicle without maintaining financial responsibility; and possession of drug paraphernalia.

• At least two of the defendants have been arrested previously on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

are among Missouri law enforcement officials participating this month in Missouri sobriety checkpoints and "DWI saturation patrols," the department announced earlier this month in a news release. The effort began Friday and continues through Sept. 5.

"Driving drunk is simply not worth all the consequences," Chief Tom Byrne stated in the release. "Our message is simple and unwavering: You drink and drive. You lose."

More than 230 people died last year in Missouri because of traffic crashes involving impaired drivers, the release states, and more than 950 serious injuries resulted.

Learn about the specifics of three DWI-related cases from Clayton in Part 2 of this three-part series. Part 2 publishes Monday.