Freezing drizzle leads to multiple accidents, one arrest

Lang
1/9/22

Freezing drizzle Saturday night led to a number of reported car crashes, including one arrest.

According to the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communications Center web site, most of the accidents reported to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office were between 7 and 10pm on Interstate 80 between Iowa City and West Branch and on Highway 218 between Iowa City and Riverside. Hills and Riverside firefighters responded to a 14-vehicle accident around 7:15pm that temporarily closed down Highway 218 between the two cities.

Tiffin firefighters were also busy Saturday night. They say on their Faecebook page they responded to four separate multi-vehicle crashes on the nearby Interstates and highways.

One person was arrested following a one-vehicle accident on IWV Road near Ivy Avenue, south of Tiffin. Johnson County deputies say they were checking on a 2012 Chevy Colorado in the ditch just after 1:30 Sunday morning and suspected the driver, 23-year-old Coleson Whisler of Bloomfield, Iowa, was under the influence of alcohol. Whisler allegedly admitted to drinking and performed poorly on field sobriety tests conducted at the nearby Johnson County Secondary Roads facility. Deputies say his breath alcohol level registered above a .08%.

Whisler is charged with Operating While Intoxicated.