Union County: Underage drunk driver attempts to elude law enforcement

Christopher Franklin, 59, of Creston, was taken into custody 9 p.m. May 18, at 140th Street and Cherry Street Road on the charge of OWI, second offense.

According to a Union County report, Franklin was the driver of a 2008 Chevrolet K1500 pickup. He was observed to have bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and the odor of alcohol on his breath.

Franklin consented to a PBT, which indicated is BrAC to be above .08%. He consented to field sobriety testing and showed clues of impairment. Franklin made statements indicating he had consumed numerous alcoholic beverages throughout the course of the day before operating the truck.

He was transported to the Union County Jail where he consented to chemical testing, the result of which showed his BAC to be .246%.

Franklin was additionally cited for no valid operater’s license and driving in improper lane.

He was released from the Union County Jail after posting $2,000 cash or surety bond.

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Micheal Cooley, 19, of Afton, was taken into custody 3:42 p.m. May 18, in the 2000 block of Pheasant Avenue on Union County warrants for the charges of domestic abuse assault, violation of a no contact order and false imprisonment.

According to Union County reports, at approximately 1:30 a.m. May 12, a Ring camera recording shows Cooley running up a driveway on Filmore Street toward a female standing on the front porch of a residence. The female is a protected party in a no contact order against Cooley.

Cooley is then seen grabbing to victim and forcefully dragging her into a vehicle. The victim tells Cooley “stop” and “no” several times before she was carried and placed in a car that left the residence at a high rate of speed.

Cooley was transported to the Union County Jail and held on $5,600 cash bond.

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Austin J. Wipf, 19, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was taken into custody 12:42 a.m. May 17, at 150th Street and Three Mile Cabin Lane on the charges of possession of drug paraphernalia, OWI, first offense and eluding. He was additionally cited for speeding - 21 mph or more over limit and minor in possession of alcohol.

According to a Union County Sheriff’s Office report, at approximately 11:36 p.m. May 16, deputies attempted to stop a 2015 Ford Fusion on 150th Street for a traffic violation.

The driver of the Fusion, later identified as Wipf, attempted to elude law enforcement and drove into the campground area at Three Mile Lake before stopping.

Contact was made with Wipf, and he was asked to exit the vehicle. Wipf was observed to have bloodshot, watery eyes, impaired balance, slurred speech and the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person. Multiple open alcohol containers were seen inside the vehicle. He admitted to drinking one beer and refused all field sobriety testing.

A search of the Fusion resulted in the recovery of open alcohol containers and drug paraphernalia.

Wipf was transported to the Union County Jail where he consented to provide a breath specimen for chemical testing. The test result indicated his BAC to be .161%.

Wipf was released from the Union County Jail after posting $2,000 cash bond.