No injuries were reported after a car left the roadway on Saturday afternoon, striking another vehicle that then collided with a storage area at Letty’s Mexican Restaurant in Gassville. The restaurant’s dining area was not affected, according to a report from the Gassville Police Department.
Police stated that prior to the incident, several 911 calls had been made about a possible intoxicated driver heading toward Gassville from the Cotter area. Before officers could locate the reported vehicle, dispatch informed them that it had struck the building at Letty's.
The driver, identified as 53-year-old Jeffrey Magness of Mountain Home, told officers that he had been traveling from out of town, became tired near Flippin, and started nodding off but continued driving because he was close to home. Officers at the scene found no signs of intoxication, no odor of alcohol, and no open containers in the vehicle, the report noted.
Police said Magness's car jumped the curb at the intersection of U.S. Highway 62/412 and Johnson Street and traveled approximately 195 feet across a sidewalk, grassy area, and parking lot. The vehicle struck an unoccupied car owned by Mary Lou Gandy of Gassville, pushing it about 30 feet into the building’s storage area used for catering supplies. The second car was totaled, while Magness’s vehicle sustained an estimated $5,000 in damage.
Magness was cited for careless driving, driving on a suspended license, and having expired vehicle tags.
The Gassville Fire Department assisted on the scene for roughly an hour and a half to extract the vehicle from the building. No further details were immediately available.