Vehicular homicide charge filed in February 2 tragedy

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A charge of vehicular homicide was filed Thursday against the Council Bluffs man arrested in connection with the Feb. 2 motor vehicle collision near Perry that claimed the life of Danyel Denise Hardisty, 40, of Minburn and badly injured her 7-year-old son.

A charge of vehicular homicide was filed Thursday against the Council Bluffs man arrested in connection with the Feb. 2 motor vehicle collision near Perry that claimed the life of Danyel Denise Hardisty, 40, of Minburn and badly injured her 7-year-old son.

Steven Joseph Wink, 53, of 613 Damon St., Council Bluffs, was charged Thursday with homicide by vehicle-OWI, serious injury by vehicle and second-offense OWI. He was arrested Feb. 8 on a Pottawattamie County warrant for probation violation on an original charge of first-offense OWI, and he was charged in Dallas County with driving while license denied or revoked, driving while barred-habitual offender and driving while suspended.

Wink remains in custody in the Dallas County Jail on $532,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Feb. 19 in Dallas County District Court.

According to court records filed Thursday, Wink “did unintentionally cause the death of Danyel Hardisty by operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.” Hardisty’s son was seriously injured in the crash. The boy was released Wednesday from the hospital.

According to an Iowa State Patrol crash report, Hardisty and her son were traveling northbound on J Avenue (County Road P58) about 9:45 p.m. Feb. 2 when a vehicle, driven by Wink and traveling southbound on J Avenue, “crossed over into the northbound lane and crashed head-on into” Hardisty’s vehicle.

Wink has a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction for OWI-eluding in 1997 in Pottawattamie County District Court. He was convicted of driving while suspended twice in 1997 in Pottawattamie County District Court. He was convicted of driving while barred-habitual offender three times in 1999, once in 2003, twice in 2004, once in 2005, 2006 and 2007 in Pottawattamie County District Court. He was convicted of public intoxication in 2010 in Pottawattamie County District Court. He was convicted of first-offense OWI in 2019 in Pottawattamie County District Court.

*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is innocent until and unless proven guilty.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Really? “unintentionally”? Whoever said that is about as smart at Mr. Wink. By the way, Wink is an idiot. You cannot justify that it was unintentional, not with his prior record. No, no, no, INTENTIONAL 100%. The person whom the vehicle was registered to that Wink was driving needs to be charged as well. She thinks she’s untouchable and got away with murder. I will continue to push that until she is also charged. Holy cow! that really got me mad. Unintentionally, that’s unbelievable.

  2. Did they say “unintentionally”? That’s outrageous! That really upsets me to hear that they are trying to justify his decisions. He has enough priors. He’s old enough. His actions were 100% INTENTIONAL. I dare someone to argue with me about this. I’m so upset right now.

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