Report: After 111 mph pursuit, drugs found in vehicle; woman arrested

A pursuit that started in Texas County and ended at Mountain Grove sparked a drug investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

A Springfield woman, Carmen R. Saeler, born in 1961, was allegedly in possession of drugs that originated from Mercy Hospital in Springfield, according to the inquiry on Aug. 31.

Saeler is charged with second-degree drug trafficking, a class B felony; aggravated fleeing a stop or detention, a class D felony; DWI, a misdemeanor; and exceeding the posted speed limit (by 26 miles per hour or more). The charges were filed Sept. 22 by the Texas County prosecutor. Bond is set at $3,500 cash only.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper said the investigation began Aug. 31 as he observed a black sport utility vehicle traveling westbound between Route 95 and Route MM in Texas County. He clocked the vehicle at 111 miles per hour in a 65-mile-per-hour zone. The Lexus continued not to yield, took the off-ramp to Route 95 and eventually stopped in a parking space at a Murphy’s Gas Station at Walmart Supercenter, according to a court filing.

According to a report, the officer said he smelled a slight odor of a possible alcoholic beverage and saw she was uncertain of her balance as she exited the vehicle. Later, the trooper said he found three vials labeled as Fentanyl, five vials labeled Dexmedetomidine/Precedex, a sedative/hypnotic and one vial with a label removed containing an unknown drug. Another label was found in the driver’s side door pocket. A syringe and loose needle also were uncovered.

Saeler was transported to Texas County Memorial Hospital for a blood draw. The sample and two unidentified vials were sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Laboratory for testing.

The trooper said Mercy Hospital in Springfield confirmed through a series of numbers that the Fentanyl and Precedex matched its stock records. The suspect said she did anesthesia as her career.