Impaired driving arrests quadruple

In 2022, the Creston Police Department arrested four individuals on the charge of OWI (operating while impaired) in January and February. In 2023, that number jumped to 15.

“Law enforcement everywhere is aware of the dangers drunk driving,” Creston Police Sergeant Shannon Arends said. “Statistic show more than 25% of fatal traffic accidents are alcohol-related.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports 30% of all traffic crash fatalities involve drivers with a BAC (blood alcohol content) more than 0.08. “In every state, it’s illegal to drive drunk, yet one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 45 minutes in the United States in 2020,” their website states.

But it’s not just drunk driving the police department is cracking down on. “We’re getting a lot of other things, not just alcohol-related OWIs,” Arends said. “We have a drug problem as well so those people are on the road as well.”

NHTSA reports 56% of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes tested positive for at least one drug. The department has requested samples for drug testing during multiple OWIs this year.

Dangers

Arends said the uptick in arrests comes from an increase in proactive law enforcement which includes more patrolling.

“The officers aren’t waiting for people to leave the bar,” he said. “What the officers are doing is watching areas like the intersection of Elm and Adams that have a need for traffic enforcement.”

A two-vehicle accident in February resulted in a man being transported to the hospital after a drunk driver swerved into the oncoming lane and hit him head on. The victim was trapped in his vehicle, requiring extrication.

“We were fortunate there wasn’t a fatality, but it isn’t always that way,” Arends said. “The risk is always there. You’re virtually seven times more likely to be in a fatal crash if you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

When charged with an OWI, first offense, the driver will be taken into custody, charged with a serious misdemeanor, subject to a fine of $625-$1,250 and a minimum license revocation of 180 days. By the third offense, the driver will be charged with a felony — stripped of their rights to vote and own firearms if convicted.

Though the price is steep, Creston’s MaKenzi Vonk wishes her father would have received an OWI. After having drinks at his slow pitch softball game and some at the bar, Vonk’s dad left the bar, but he would never make it home.

“With every milestone, it’s a reminder that he made that decision, and that ultimately, it was such a selfish decision,” Vonk said. “He didn’t set out to die that night, but because he made that decision, it’s basically involuntary suicide.”

Vonk was only 6 when she lost her father, but the pain and the lesson have stuck with her through the test of time. “I so wish he would have been pulled over. I wish someone would have stopped him at the bar. I wish a friend would have been like, ‘hey, let me take you home,” she said. “Money is replaceable. Paying higher insurance is replaceable, all those things that come with getting an OWI, all that stuff is replaceable. Your life and someone else’s life is not replaceable.”

Options

“We’re not trying to create the situation where people can’t have fun, but we’re asking them to be responsible,” Arends explained. “Your fun should never overshadow someone else’s right to get home safely. There are many options other than getting behind the wheel.”

In fact, Creston residents have noticed the police’s crack down on impaired drivers. A Facebook post by Morgan Oetken states, “As everyone has been seeing lately the cops aren’t messing around with giving out OWIs. Bailey Oetken and I have several people that know they can message us anytime and we will come get you…and your car if needed since there are two of us!”

The post quickly garnered 66 shares with others jumping in to offer rides.

Oetken said she and her sister typically give two to three rides a week, but it’s usually the same few people taking the offer. “We just wanted to get it out there that no matter who you are we would be happy to get you home safe,” she said. “What prompted us to do it was watching someone close to us getting (an OWI) and what they had to go through because of it. Luckily there were no injuries or anything that very well could have happened. The time and money spent were so much, plus the emotional effect it took on them.”

The lack of late-night public transportation in Creston means bar patrons need to have plan before heading out for the night. Having a friend come to give a ride or planning a designated driver are ways to ensure safe passage home.

Arends said it shocks him how many times they arrest someone for OWI only to find a sober passenger in the vehicle.

Zero Tolerance

From charging county employees to superintendents, the police department has a no-tolerance policy when it comes to impaired driving.

“That’s everywhere you go,” Arends explained. “It’s just too dangerous. The mindset that ‘this isn’t going to happen to me’ doesn’t make any sense. These can be good people that had a little too much when they went out to eat, didn’t pay attention at the bar, we understand they are good people, but this is one of the more serious crimes we see.”

Arends said one of the teachings that stuck out most to him was “If you want to save lives and make a difference in your community, do alcohol enforcement.”

Members of both the Creston Police and Union County Sheriff’s Office recently attended an ARIDE class (Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement). The class certifies officers in conducting additional impaired driving tests targeted at drug impairment.

“That gives us the impact to affect drug driving, not just drunk driving,” Arends said. “It requires additional testing. That also accounts for our numbers being up.”

In 2023, six of the 15 OWI charges were more than double the legal limit. The average being a BAC of 0.149. The last three OWIs issued by the department were more than 0.2.

“That takes a lot of alcohol,” Arends said. “I doubt very much the people involved in that think they’re just going to go out and kill somebody tonight. Everyone has the mindset they’re going to make it home safely. It’s unfortunate, especially if it’s your family behind the wheel.”

The Alternatives

Though the OWI consequences are hefty, including drivers being required to carry expensive, high-risk insurance, the alternatives are so much worse.

“The last thing we want to do is knock on your family’s door and say you’re not coming home,” Arends said. “We don’t love seeing people go through the hardship of getting an OWI, but it’s the best worst thing that can happen in that situation. Everything else that could go wrong is substantially worse.”

An OWI will fall off a driver’s record after 12 years, but Arends said living with the fact that a life was taken or seriously injured is far worse than any penalties or crimes.

Though it’s been 25 years since her father’s death, Vonk said it hurts the same as it did when she was 6.

“Whether it’s addiction or you’re just out for a fun night and it’s the first time you’ve drank in six months, getting behind the wheel and driving home and risking not only your life, but potentially someone else’s life, is just not worth it,” she said. “I have three kids that he never got to meet. He never got to see me graduate, get married, he missed out on literally every pivotal point in my life.”