St. Charles Man Beats 79-Year-Old Mom, Breaks Bones

Daniel M. Quirk, 43, was charged with elder abuse for with attacking his mother on Monday, St. Charles Police said.

A St. Charles man hit and kicked his 79-year-old mother, breaking bones, bruising and cutting her on May 6, police said. Daniel M. Quirk, 43, of the 300 block of Oakleaf Drive in St. Charles, was charged May 7 with second-degree elder abuse. The woman needed treatment at an area hospital. St. Charles Police said Quirk, who lives with his mother, has previous domestic assault charges. Quirk is being held in St. Charles County jail. Bail was set at $50,000, cash only, and he is to have no contact with his mother. He pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic assault and tampering with a vehicle in 2010. He was given a suspended sentence and placed on probation in December 2010. Quirk’s probation was suspended a month later. For more crime …

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Man Kicks in Doors, Throws Down and Injures Woman

The St. Charles man was charged with third-degree domestic assault.

A St. Charles man injured a St. Charles woman Nov. 30 by throwing her down, police said. St. Charles Police said that John W. Smelser, 36, was in a rage at the victim when he kicked in a locked door in the 3200 block of Janton Lane in St. Charles, then pushed his mother aside and kicked in a locked bedroom door. He then grabbed the woman and threw her on the floor, injuring her back and hand, police said. Smelser, of the 2400 block of Chartom Mar Drive in St. Charles, was charged Dec. 3 with third-degree domestic assault. Bail was set at $5,000, and he is to have no contact with the victim. If you have experienced or know someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence, find resources through the St. Louis Ending Violence Against …

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Couple Indicted After Breaking Into St. Charles Home To Retrieve A Girl

St. Charles Police said they intended to assault a person caring for their daughter; the Division of Family Services advised the family to keep the girl pending an investigation.

A couple accused of breaking into a home last April in attempt to retrieve their daughter was indicted by a St. Charles County grand jury Nov. 30 of being accessories to burglary. St. Charles Police said the mother, Jennifer Temm, 34, had asked Andrew R. Wilson, 31, the daughter’s father, and Matthew Wakeman to help her get her daughter from a relative’s home. St. Charles Police said the family, who are relatives, had been advised by the Division of Family Services to keep the child pending an investigation. Temm and Wakeman are active heroin users, according to court documents. Temm is from the 2800 block of Owendale in Oakville; Wilson is from the 5500 block of Seth Avenue in Affton. Police said that Wilson and Wakeman broke into the St…

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Domestic Violence Victim Was Strong Woman, Daughter Says

"If this could happen to my Mom, it could happen to anybody," said Linda Cerutti's daughter, Carrie Brackett.

Linda Cerutti wasn’t what people think of when they think of domestic violence victims, said her daughter, Carrie Brackett. “My mother is by far the strongest person I have ever known in my life,” Brackett said a few days after her mother died June 10. “She was the person I would call for just about anything. I leaned on her. Now, I can’t do that.” Cerutti, of St. Charles, died June 10 from injuries from a May 29 attack. Her live-in boyfriend, Steven Martineau was charged Friday with second-degree murder. He was charged with third-degree domestic assault on Cerutti in February. Brackett said she was surprised to find out her mother’s relationship with Martineau was an abusive one. “I want the message out there. If this can happen to my Mom…

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Mother, Son, Daughter Charged with Making Meth in St. Charles

The three also face child endangerment charges as 3-year-old stayed in house near meth lab.

A mother, son and daughter were charged Thursday in St. Charles County Circuit Court with manufacturing and possessing methamphetamine and endangering a child. Jonathan Trendley, 29, of the 700 block of Hazel Valley in Hazelwood, Kathryn Roloff, 52, and Kaylyn Clark, 17, both of the 2600 block of Falcons Way in St. Charles, were all charged with making and possessing meth and endangering a child. St. Charles County Sheriff’s detectives followed Trendley Wednesday to a St. Charles address where he traded $50 and one-fourth of a gram of meth for two boxes of pseudoephedrine pills, according to a sheriff’s department report. The detectives recovered the cash and meth from the address and pulled over Trendley at the QuikTrip at 225 North …

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Man Charged with Stealing His Grandfather's Truck in St. Charles

Man illegally entered his mother's house to steal the keys, then took the truck, police said.

A man was charged Wednesday with stealing his grandfather’s pickup truck from his mother’s home. Alexander L. Wilson, 31, of the 5500 block of Seth Avenue in Affton, was charged with burglary and stealing the truck. According to a St. Charles Police report, Wilson’s mother had changed locks to keep him out, but left a rear door unlocked while she slept. Police said in the report that Wilson entered the house in the 400 block of Elmhurst April 20, took keys to a 2002 Toyota Tundra and took the truck from the garage. St. Louis Metropolitan Police spotted Wilson driving the vehicle May 7 and pulled him over. He told police the owner had given him the keys. However, Wilson’s grandfather told police he would not have given him the truck because…

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Meet the Chef

Chef Keeps Heritage Alive at St. Charles Restaurant

Donna Hafer is serving her mother and grandmother’s recipes at The-Mother-In-Law-House Restaurant.

Donna Hafer calls herself a little farm girl from Illinois. Now, as owner of The Mother-In-Law-House Restaurant on Main Street, Hafer draws inspiration from her youth to run her restaurant.  Hafer graduated with a degree in chemistry from Lindenwood University in St. Charles. Since then, she's been both a teacher and owner of several businesses. In conversation, Hafer consistently plays down her own achievements, saying instead that she’s blessed to have wonderful, supportive people in her life who have made everything possible.  Before she was born, Hafer’s grandmother owned a small ice cream shop called The Shack. Hafer grew up hearing stories of her grandmother’s business. As a young married woman, to the surprise of her family, she …

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