(Okoboji)– Authorities report no major incidents on the ice in connection with this past weekend’s Winter Games in the Iowa Great Lakes. DNR Enforcement Officer Steve Reighard tells KUOO news everyone seemed to pay attention to the safety messages…
“We didn’t get any reports of anyone going through the ice, which is rare. Usually we have atleast have a few that try to cross a pressure ridge or something. We didn’t have any reports of any accidents which was also a great relief. With the influx of that many people we usually have that happen, also.”
Reighard says authorities did make a number of alcohol-related arrests, however…
“There were a number of individuals that were arrested for OWI. If you’re operating a snowmobile or an ATV or side-by-side or a Razor or any of those machines you don’t have to be on a highway. If you’re on a public ice it’s still a regular OWI. So there was a number of OWI arrests, there were a couple of public intoxication arrests. A lot of that was for the safety of the individuals, confused where they were at. They had over indulged.”
Reighard says the number of registration violations on snowmobiles, ATV’s and other off-road vehicles were actually down from previous years.
