(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports one person appeared to have been injured following one of three separate accidents that took place Saturday. The first occurred at around 5:30-a.m. on Wagon Road, when a car driven by 31-year-old Heather Norell, of Stuart, rounded a curve and struck a deer. The 2016 Chrysler 300 she was driving sustained an estimated $15,000 damage.

The second accident happened at around 4:10-p.m. on Poplar Avenue in Guthrie Center, when 17-year-old Ashton Zekucia, of Guthrie Center, looked down at his phone, and ended-up over-correcting when the 2019 Hyundai Sante Fe SUV began to enter the east ditch. Zekucia tried to regain control when the vehicle hit a culvert, causing the driver’s side airbag to deploy. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to its undercarriage that was estimated at $10,000. The teen was cited for Failure to Maintain Control.

The third accident in Guthrie County happened at around 4:30-p.m., Saturday, on Highway 25 northbound. Authorities say a 2020 GMC pickup driven by 43-year-old Thomas Lee Semke, of Jefferson, stopped quickly to avoid hitting a dog that was running left across the highway near the intersection with Division Street. A 2013 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 26-year-old Seth Ashby, of Guthrie Center, was unable to stop in time. When the motorcycle ran into the rear of the pickup, Ashby was partially ejected from the motorcycle seat into the rear of the pickup. He complained of pain/possible injuries, and was transported to an unknown destination.

Both vehicles sustained an estimated $5,000 damage. Deputies cited Semke for having no valid driver’s license.