Public Safety Director with the Storm Lake Police Department says, they believe the quick thinking response of an officer on their force averted another tragedy on the unpredictable ice of the community’s lake. At approximately 1:57 this morning (Wednesday), an officer on patrol noticed a vehicle driving on the Awaysis Beach sand along Lakeshore Drive. He then says he saw the vehicle begin to drive on the frozen ice of the Lake, coming within 40 feet of open water. The officer began yelling at the motorist and was able to catch their attention, getting them to drive back onto the beach. The officer made contact with the driver, 24-year-old Sandra Edith Chavez of Storm Lake. It is alleged that Chavez was intoxicated and she was taken into custody. After an investigation, Chavez has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a serious misdemeanor. Forty-year-old Zachary Newlon of Anthon and his eight-year-old son died on Sunday, Jan. 20 when the vehicle Newlon was driving went through the ice on the lake. Two other passengers in the vehicle, Newlon’s nine- and five-year-old daughters, were transported to a Sioux Falls Hospital for treatment. The reported temperature on that night was zero with a wind chill of 15 below.
