(Creston, Iowa) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), released information with regard to a non-injury, rollover accident that occurred November 1st. Authorities say a sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a reported vehicle in the ditch just west of Dogwood Road, on 170th Street in Union County. When Deputy Noah Fargo arrived, he located a 2006 Chevy Malibu in the ditch, totaled (estimated $8,000 damage). The sheriff’s report said the vehicle appeared to be empty, with open beer cans and an open case of beer in the back seat.

An investigation determined the car hit the south side of a bridge and slid against it, causing the car to roll into the ditch and come to rest in a field just south of the road. A piece of the car was stuck on the bridge. Damage to the Union County-owned bridge railing was estimated at $2,500. The driver was subsequently identified as 58-year-old Christopher Lynn Franklin, of Creston. Franklin told authorities he struck a deer on his way home the night of November 1st. He claimed he wasn’t drinking at the time.

The report however, said evidence at the scene made it look different than Franklin described, because there was no evidence a deer had impacted the vehicle, and there was no deer carcass in the area. Franklin admitted to driven without a valid driver’s license. He was issued a citation for failure to show proof of security and liability. The citation amounted to nearly $797.00.