Law enforcement agencies from across Iowa and the nation will be stepping up enforcement to save lives from now through this Labor Day weekend. Authorities say the motoring public will notice more officers and increased safety messaging.The Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) runs August 25th through September 7th.

The Labor Day weekend traditionally signals the end of summer and often involves one last road trip for the year with the family. It also involves a high rate of drunk driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2013, the most recent year in which data is available, there were 424 crash fatalities nationwide over the three-day Labor Day weekend. Almost half of those fatal crashes involved drivers who had been drinking, and 27 percent of those drivers had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher – nearly twice the legal limit of .08. In the same time period, four (4) people were killed in crashes in Iowa, twenty-five percent of those were alcohol related.

Iowa is offering a new, SaferRide mobile app (which is free from the Apple iTunes store and Google Play) that can help users call a taxi or a friend for a ride home. The app can even help you identify your location so you can be picked up. If you know you will be drinking, plan how you will get home afterward.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau reminds you that, “Driving sober is not just a recommendation, it’s the law!”

A Missouri man was arrested early Monday morning in Red Oak on multiple charges.  Red Oak Police report the arrest at 1:45am Monday in the 100 block of West Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak.  25-year-old Christopher Michael Myers of St. Joseph, Missouri was arrested for 3 counts of Theft 2nd Degree, 2 counts of Identity Theft, and 1 count of Theft 3rd Degree.  Myers was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on $5,000 cash bond.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of a Red Oak man late Sunday night for Breach of Peace.  At 10:44pm Officers arrested 29-year-old Brian Paul Anderson of Red Oak.  Anderson was taken in to custody and held on $300 cash bond.

Two Red Oak men were taken into custody late Saturday night. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office 38-year-old Joseph Bredberg and 29-year-old Cody Keith Tunnell, both of Red Oak, were arrested at approximately 11:39pm Saturday night in the 2300 block of Eastern Ave. for public intoxication. The two were transported to the Montgomery County Corrections Office where they were booked and held on a $300 each cash bond.

A Red Oak man was arrested early Sunday morning on a charge of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. According to the Red Oak Police Department, at approximately 1:08 am, Officers arrested 42-year-old Chris Allan Taylor of Red Oak for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Taylor was cited and released later Sunday morning after his bond of $300 was met.