Driver faces charges in fatal Clinton County crash

The driver involved in a weekend car accident near Preston, Iowa, in which two young people were killed allegedly had been drinking before the accident, according to court records.

Justin Joseph Sparks, 19, of Charlotte was arrested Monday night and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by intoxication. He was released from custody after posting 5 percent of a $50,000 bond. Sparks’ attorney, John Wolfe, appeared on his behalf at an arraignment hearing Tuesday morning. A preliminary hearing has been set for Aug. 12.

Sparks was driving a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix southbound in the 1400 block of 400th Avenue about 2:50 a.m. Saturday when the vehicle went off the road on the right side into the ditch, struck a tree and overturned, ejecting Sparks and his two passengers, Jed Jeremiah Rogis, 19, of Clinton, and Kristin Faye Hanrahan, 18, of Delmar, according to a report from the Iowa State Patrol.

None of the three occupants of the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt.

Rogis and Hanrahan were killed, and Sparks was taken to Mercy Medical Center-Clinton for treatment of his injuries.

Investigators found an open can of Busch Light beer in the driver’s door of the vehicle and an open bottle of liquor in the trunk, according to court records.

A trooper for the Iowa State Patrol could smell alcohol on Sparks and obtained a warrant to test his blood for alcohol, according to the report.

Clinton County Attorney Mike Wolf said Tuesday he could not discuss the results of Sparks’ blood-alcohol test.

Sparks’ attorney said Tuesday that his client had been released from the hospital but was still recovering from the accident. He said Sparks, Rogis and Hanrahan were close friends and called the accident “a huge tragedy.”

Vehicular homicide by intoxication is a Class B felony, punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison.

Hanrahan and Rogis were athletes during their time at Northeast Community High School, Goose Lake. Hanrahan, who graduated this past spring, was on the track team, while Rogis played basketball. He was a 2010 graduate of the Northeast.