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Mason City man who crashed car into train gets suspended prison sentence for felony drunk driving

MASON CITY – A Mason City man who was taken to the hospital after he drove his pickup into a train is guilty of felony drunk driving, but avoided prison.

Monday morning, September 2, 2020 at 1:48 AM, Mason City police officers responded to a vehicle that had collided with a train in the 500 block of 6th Street SW. Police say a 1999 Dodge Dakota was eastbound when it collided with a Union Pacific train traveling north. The owner and driver of the Dodge Dakota, 43-year-old Matthew Bernhardt of Mason City, was taken to Mercy One and treated for injuries.

Police said the collision would continue to be under investigation.

Later, a Mason City police department spokesman told NIT that Bernhardt was arrested on September 13, 2019 in connection to the accident.

“Officers conducted an investigation into the incident following the crash. Bernhardt had been observed drinking by officers in a licensed liquor establishment. He had signs of drinking and impairment at the crash scene after hitting the train. Officers applied for a search warrant and obtained a blood sample for testing with resulted in excess of 0.08. This is third offense OWI (a felony). Bernhardt was also charged with failure to stop at a railroad crossing.”

As a result of the charges, Bernhardt accepted a plea bargain. He pled guilty to third-offense operating while intoxicated and was sentenced to 30 days in jail with a suspended 5-year prison term. He must pay $4,482.07 in fines and court fees.

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