St. Louis Has Its Playboy Back!

Wow! You hear the news? Beer scion August Busch IV divorced his wife Kathryn Lisa Busch (formerly Kathryn Thatcher) on Wednesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court. The couple married just over two years ago. Busch is 44. His ex-wife just 28.

I, for one, am glad to hear that Busch IV is back in the field. His carousing skills as a bachelor were legendary and always provided some great second-hand tales. Prior to getting hitched in 2006, Busch IV dated the pride of Florissant and former Miss USA Shandi Finnessey. Much earlier than that, Busch IV dated a woman by the name of Karla Stratton -- a dancer at the Sauget topless bar, PT's.

In fact, Busch IV had quite a penchant for the skin bars on the East Side during his playboy daze days. In 1985 the then 20-year-old was speeding home from a Sauget bar in his Mercedes when he got in a chase with undercover cops in St. Louis. The police thought he was a drug dealer, and after a 15-minute, high-speed chase through the Central West End they finally stopped Busch IV when they shot out his rear tire. (Busch IV, meanwhile, thought the cops -- in unmarked police cars -- were gangsters intent on kidnapping him.)

Now with his divorce and $91.4 million payout from last year's sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev, Busch IV should have plenty of time and cash to return to his old ways. How many lap dances does $91 million buy ya?

P.S. You can read more of his tales in the fantastic book, Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Stor of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty.

Note: You can read an update to this story with terms of the divorce settlements, here.