GENTRY — Todd Shannon, a Gravette Police officer, crashed the pickup truck he was driving into two parked vehicles and damaged the Gentry Motel on Arkansas Highway 59 on Sunday, according to a news release by Sgt. Clay Stewart of the Gentry Police Department.
Shannon's vehicle, a tan Ford pickup truck, was traveling northbound on Arkansas Highway 59 "before crossing over the southbound lanes and leaving the roadway at or near the intersection of Highway 59 and East First Street, the release states. The Shannon vehicle then struck two street signs, a motel sign and the two parked cars before finally coming to rest in the motel parking lot."
According to the release, "contact from the Shannon vehicle is what propelled" a yellow Ford sport-utility vehicle into the motel building and a green Ford car into the ditch. The yellow Ford SUV, owned by David Brannon of Gentry, and the green Ford car, owned by Kimberly VanHook of Bentonville, were not occupied at the time of the crash, the release states.
The accident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, the release states. Gentry officers responded to the crash to find a tan Ford pickup truck with very extensive front-end damage and air bag deployment sitting sideways in front of Room 2 of the Gentry Motel. In front of the truck was a yellow Ford Escape SUV with very extensive front and rear damage, wedged against the front wall and door of Room 2. There was also a green Ford Escort with side panel damage sitting sideways in the ditch alongside Highway 59.
The release states that "officers made contact with the male and female occupants of the tan Ford pickup. Both had injuries and were being treated on the scene by medical personnel. The male driver was identified as Todd Shannon, 49, of Gravette ... The female passenger was identified as Donna Shannon, 51, also of Gravette ... Both occupants were transported by ambulance to the Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville."
According to police, the blood alcohol test requested of Todd Shannon was refused and he was cited at the hospital in connection with DWI and careless and prohibited driving and released.
Earlier this year, Todd Shannon was commended by the Gravette Police Department for performing CPR on an unconscious person in September of 2016 and saving the person's life.
General News on 04/26/2017