Iowans who will be whooping it up for New Year’s Eve tonight need to remember that not all alcoholic drinks are created equal. Alcohol counselor John Smith says it isn’t necessarily a good rule of thumb to assume you’re okay to drive if you’ve only had one drink an hour, at least if you want to avoid being nailed for driving drunk. “Certainly, there are things like a Long Island iced tea that might have five shots of different alcohol in them,” Smith says. “You could easily have a drink that has five to seven standard drinks in one drink.” He teaches classes to those convicted of drunk driving and he’s advising people on ways to avoid getting tipsy, like eating a good meal and pacing your drinking. Smith says Iowans should make it a point to watch the alcohol content of their drinks.

Smith says, “A typical, standard drink is a 12-ounce American beer at about 5% alcohol and that’s about the same amount as about an ounce and a half of 80-proof liquor, or about the same as 5-ounces of table wine at 12-percent.” Smith says any one of those drinks would put a man weighing 180-pounds about one-fourth of the way to exceeding the legal limit for driving. On the other hand, he says just one Long Island iced tea could result in a drunk driving charge. Smith says it’s important to keep an eye on just how much booze actually goes into your drink.

He says if you order a double or if a friend tries to make you a special drink with extra booze, it could hit you much harder than just a single, standard drink. The only sure way is to avoid getting charged with drunk driving after a night of drinking, Smith says, is to simply not get behind the wheel.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

2 separate arrests were reported by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in the past two days on drug and alcohol related charges.

On Thursday (12/29) at approximately 11:10pm Sheriff’s officials arrested 35-year-old Sean Eugene Hicks of Emerson for possession of Marijuana with the intent to deliver, possession of drug paraphenalia, manner of conveyance, stopping on the paved portion of the roadway, and having no valid driver’s license.  The arrest was made following an incident at 210th St and Boxelder Avenue in rural Red Oak.  Hicks was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $5,000 bond.

On Friday (12/30) evening at around 10:59pm Montgomery County Sheriff’s officials arrested 49-year-0ld John Elsworth Martin of Omaha for OWI 3rd offense at M Avenue and Highway 34 in rural Red Oak. Martin was also charged with open container and driving with no valid driver’s license.  He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

Red Oak Police report the arrest of 19-year-old Shealeigh Deann Lambright on Friday (12/30) at 5:43pm on a valid Montgomery County warrant for 5th degree theft.  Police arrested Lambright in the 100 block of West Coolbaugh Street and booked her into the Montgomery County jail on $300 bond.

Authorities in Council Bluffs  say a 52-year-old Carter Lake woman was killed Friday in a two-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 480 that tied up traffic for several hours. Police say Linda Steskal, of Carter Lake, died at the scene of the crash.  According to Council Bluffs Police Sgt. Chad Geer, an SUV driven by 45-year old Ronnie Dunbar, of Council Bluffs, was traveling at a high rate of speed at around 3:30-p.m. Friday, when it hit the rear of Steskal’s Chevy Malibu near the Dodge Street exit. Following the collision,the 4-door Malibu bounced off of a guardrail, spewing debris across the roadway. Police had to shut down all four eastbound lanes into Council Bluffs for more than three hours, while eastbound traffic was diverted back into downtown Omaha. Law officers from the Council Bluffs and Omaha police departments, the Iowa State Patrol and Nebraska State Patrol helped reroute traffic.

Steskal’s car sustained heavy front- and rear-end damage before it ended up in a ditch with the back window broken out and the hood folded up. The other vehicle, a Mercury Mountaineer, was on the north shoulder of I-480 east, facing west.  It had heavy damage to the driver’s side, with the back wheel broken. Sgt. Geer told reporters alcohol was found in the SUV, and officials were investigating whether alcohol use was a factor in the accident.

Dunbar fled the scene on foot following the crash, but was taken into custody near the Interstate 29 bridge over Ninth Avenue. He was arrested on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident and driving with a suspended license. His passenger, 45-year old Michael Barnett, of Council Bluffs, was injured and taken to Mercy Hospital, where he was treated and released.