Cops: Budweiser Heir Tried to Fly Helicopter While Intoxicated

Police seized 4 loaded guns
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2017 4:10 AM CDT
Cops: Budweiser Heir Tried to Fly Helicopter While Intoxicated
Former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV exits the Swansea, Ill., police station to a waiting car Tuesday, July 11, 2017.   (Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat via AP)

August Adolphus Busch IV is in legal trouble again, and this time it involves a helicopter, four loaded guns, and eight dogs. The former Anheuser-Busch CEO was arrested in Swansea, Ill., on Monday for allegedly trying to fly a helicopter while intoxicated, Fox reports. Police say Busch landed the helicopter in a business park at 12:40pm Monday and they received a call around seven hours later from somebody saying he "appeared too intoxicated to take off." When an officer arrived, "the helicopter rotors were spinning and the engine was revving up," according to a police Facebook post. A breathalyzer test for alcohol returned a .000 reading, but police say Busch was slurring his words and rambling about unrelated subjects.

In an incident report, officer Jason Frank says he decided Busch might be under the influence of a controlled substance and told him "he was no longer allowed to get into his helicopter and fly away," the Belleville News-Democrat reports. Frank says Busch then informed him he had a loaded gun in his pocket and the weapon was "hot." He says Busch's wife told him Busch had anxiety issues and was off his medication. Inside the helicopter, police found four bottles of prescription medication and three more loaded guns. Busch's wife was allowed to leave in the helicopter with the eight dogs she had with her, while Busch was arrested and taken to a hospital. (In 2010, Busch's girlfriend was found dead at his home.)

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