A Missouri woman was arrested Wednesday for drunk driving more than one year after a three-vehicle collision on Iowa Highway 44 in which she and several others were seriously injured.
Samantha Nadene Whitney, 33, of 3139 Eighth St., Joplin, Missouri, was arrested on a Dallas County warrant for first-degree theft, first-offense OWI, leaving the scene of an accident-serious injury, driving on the wrong side of a two-lane highway, reckless driving and failure to obey stop sign and yield right of way.
The collision occurred July 19, 2020, about 7:30 p.m. near the 21600 block of 240th Street between Laredo Trail and Sportsman’s Club Road, where the vehicle Whitney was driving, a stolen 2002 GMC Sierra pickup truck, crossed the center line and struck two other vehicles, according to court records.
All three vehicles came to rest in the south ditch of Iowa Highway 44. Two air ambulances responded to transport Whitney and a passenger from the stolen truck after they were extricated from the vehicle by Adel and Dallas Center volunteer firefighters. Other injury victims were transported to Des Moines hospitals by the Dallas County EMS.
The truck was allegedly stolen a short time before the accident from a Dallas Center welding company, according to court records.
Whitney’s blood alcohol level allegedly was at .155% when tested 4.5 hours after the collision, according to court records, and a blood drug screen “came back positive” “for marijuana metabolites, benzodiazepines and fentanyl.”
A warrant for Whitney’s arrest was ordered Oct. 16, 2020, in Dallas County District Court and served Aug. 25, 2021. She is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $13,000 cash-only bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 7 in Dallas County District Court.
The collision was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, with assistance from the Dallas County Sheriff’s office, Adel Volunteer Fire Department, Dallas Center Volunteer Fire Department and Dallas County EMS.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
