Vehicle and Utility Pole Catch Fire

On March 22 at approximately 11:53p.m. deputies with the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to US Highway 61 and 160^th street where a vehicle struck a utility pole and then caught on fire. Deputies arrived on scene on 160^th St. just west of US Highway 61. The vehicle and the utility pole were engulfed in flames and the driver was out of the vehicle. Mediapolis Fire responded and extinguished the vehicle and the utility pole. The vehicle was a total loss. Upon investigation deputies investigated the accident and determined the vehicle was southbound on US Highway 61 when it left the roadway and entered a field heading southwest towards 160^th St. The vehicle struck a culvert and then the utility pole. Deputies determined the driver, Haydn Eberhardt, age 18, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. Eberhardt was placed under arrest for operating while intoxicated and failure to maintain control.