(Red Oak, Iowa) A Montgomery County man suffered minor injuries during a collision that was the result of distracted driving, Sunday morning, in Red Oak. According to the Red Oak Police Department, 35-year-old Cory Phelan Porter, of Red Oak, was driving a 2006 Dodge Dakota pickup truck westbound in the 500 block of E. Washington Avenue at around 9:30-a.m., Sunday, when he lost the lens out of his glasses. When Porter reached down to pick it up, his pickup veered across the center line of the road and into the opposite lane.

When he looked up, he tried to stop, but was unable to do so in-time before his pickup struck the front of a legally parked 2013 Ford pickup. The impact pushed the parked pickup into a legally parked 2013 Chevy Equinox SUV. Porter suffered an abrasion on his head and knees, but refused rescue. He was cited for Driving in an improper lane/wrong direction.

Damage from the accident amounted to $12,100, according to the police report.

An accident late Sunday evening, caused $18,000 damage, but no one was injured. Red Oak Police report a 2015 Jeep Wrangler owned by Charles & Roxanna Fink, and driven by 22-year-old Savannah Jo Fink, of Red Oak, was traveling west on Highway 34 in a 50 mph construction zone. A 2017 Dodge Charger owned by Mid-Plains Truck and Auto, and driven by 55-year-old James T. Vukonich, of Fremont, NE, was traveling east on Highway 34 in the same construction zone. As the Jeep was approaching the intersection of 8th Street and Highway 34, a 2021 Ford Escape SUV owned by Thomas & Lois Pratt, and driven by 79-year-old Thomas Keith Pratt, of Red Oak, was stopped at the stop sign facing south on 8th Street. Pratt failed to yield the right-of-way before his vehicle pulled out in front of the Jeep and was struck by the SUV.

The impact caused the Escape to crash into the barrels of sand in the construction lane, which caused additional damage to the Ford. The Jeep was bumped-off of the Ford and struck the Dodge Charger that was in the oncoming lane, sideswiping the left side of the car. The Jeep was left undrivable, and stuck in the middle of the westbound lane. The other two vehicles were driven away by their respective drivers.

There were no citations issued.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department say six people were arrested Friday through Sunday. Three of the arrests occurred Sunday:

38-year-old Jessica Lynn Palmer, of Creston, was arrested for Assault (General). Palmer was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released on $300 cash or surety bond; 58-year-old Scott Bradley Spurrier, of Orient, was arrested for OWI 1^st Offense. Spurrier was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $1000 cash or surety bond.; And, 23-year-old Juan Carlos Villegas, Jr., of Texas, was arrested at the Quality Inn, in Creston. Villegas was charged with Public Intoxication 1^st Offense. Villegas was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $300 cash or surety bond.

Early Saturday morning, 33-year-old Irene Pantoja, of Creston, was arrested for OWI 1^st Offense. Pantoja was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released on $1000 cash or surety bond.

Friday afternoon, 71-year-old Sandra Jean Bruce, of Creston, was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Bruce was cited and released on Promise to Appear. And, Friday night, 41-year-old Nicki Renee Jones, of Creston, was arrested for Driving while Barred. Jones was cited and released on Promise to Appear.

(Creston, Iowa) – An SUV and  a pickup truck collided Sunday afternoon in Creston, but no injuries were reported. According to Creston Police, the collision occurred at around 1:05-p.m. at the intersection of Birch and Carpenter Streets. A 2024 Toyota Sequoia SUV driven by 42-year-old Jacqueline Welchans, of Creston, was struck by a 2013 Dodge pickup driven by 24-year-old Kierstin Swank, of Lenox.

Authorities said Welchans was traveling south on Birch Street in Creston. Swank was stopped on westbound Carpenter Street, at the stop sign. She told police she looked but did not see the SUV before pulling-out into the intersection. Welchans tried to stop and avoid the collision, but was unable to do so.

Both vehicles sustained significant damage, but were able to be driven from the scene. Swank was issued a citation for Failure to have insurance. She was also issued a written warning for Failure to yield the right-of-way. Damage from the collision amounted to $3,500 altogether, according to the police report.

(Radio Iowa) – Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Davenport says congress will have valid questions about how the Secret Service performed at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.  “Having been in the military, there is always an after-action report,” Miller-Meeks says. “You want to know, you know, how was a shooter on the building? How did that occur? Why and how were they close to the perimeter?”

Miller-Meeks says she has additional perspective because her oldest brother was a Secret Service agent who guarded and traveled with Presidents Carter, Ford, Reagan and Bush before ending his career working at the Reagan Ranch in California. Miller-Meeks says she’s heard directly from Iowans — and from people from both political parties — who have expressed shock and horror after Saturday’s tragic events. “It is not acceptable. It is not how we solve differences or how we promote and advocate for issues that we think are important,” Miller-Meeks says. “We do that at the ballot box and elections.”

Miller-Meeks will be in Milwaukee at some point this week to meet with Iowa delegates at the Republican National Convention.