The Storm Lake Police did not have to look far to close an investigation into an abandoned vehicle with blood in the driver’s area after the suspect made a stop at the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office. On Saturday, Dec. 8, at about 11:50 p.m., an officer was dispatched to a report of a vehicle left unattended in the roadway. The vehicle had extensive damage to the front and they found the blood inside. Shortly after, they were notified that 22-year-old Nikolai Smith of Storm Lake was trying to bond out an inmate at the jail, but was suffering from facial injuries. An investigation ensued and police allege Smith was driving the vehicle from Lakeside into Storm Lake and lost control, driving into a ditch and creating the damage. He continued to drive it into town, but abandoned it shortly after. Smith was arrested and charged with operating while intoxicated, a serious misdemeanor, and public intoxication, a simple misdemeanor.
