SOUTH ROXANA - An East Alton man is facing eight charges after he allegedly drove with a blood-alcohol level of more than 0.22 percent, more than three times the level for a legal presumption of under the influence.

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John B. Nappier, 44, of the 100 block of Irwin Street, was charged Tuesday with two counts of aggravated driving under the influence, failure to report an accident involving personal injury or death, two counts of aggravated battery, criminal damage to property and aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer.

He allegedly drove a 2009 Nissan on April 4 while under the influence of alcohol after having been previously convicted of the same charge. He is also accused of driving the vehicle after having been convicted of driving under the influence four times previously.

A South Roxana police officer attempted to stop the vehicle Nappier was driving when Nappier allegedly fled the scene. Police pursued him into East Alton, where his vehicle and another collided.

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Reports said Nappier then fled in his heavily damaged vehicle. The other driver was injured and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Police initiated a search for Nappier and the vehicle and found them behind a business on Fosterburg Road. Nappier allegedly then took off again, leading to another pursuit which ended when Nappier’s Nissan rammed into the squad car of South Roxana Police Chief Bobby Coles.

Nappier reportedly fled on foot but was taken into custody in Godfrey.

Coles noted the pursuit was extremely dangerous to officers and that he feels the Illinois Legislature should adopt stricter penalties for fleeing a police officer. The current sentence would be between three and seven years in prison with the possibility of probation.

The aggravated battery charges involve the crash with Coles’ squad car in which the chief was injured. The criminal damage charge involves damage to a vehicle involved in the accident. He was accused of resisting a police officer for allegedly pulling away from an arresting police officer and rolling around on the ground, injuring the arresting officer.

The two aggravated fleeing charges claim he fled from a South Roxana police officer at more than 21 mph over the speed limit. Bail was set at $100,000.

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