QUASQUETON, IOWA – A Nebraska man allegedly had a few too many before driving and then losing control of his fast-moving pickup truck and mowing down numerous headstones at this Northern Iowa cemetery.
On Saturday, June 15, 2024 at approximately 11:40 PM, the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 report of a motor vehicle accident in the 600 block North Water Street in Quasqueton. It was reported that a vehicle had been traveling southbound on Racine Avenue at a high rate of speed and failed to negotiate the turn onto Water Street. The vehicle left the roadway and into Quasqueton Cemetery, hitting and destroying numerous headstones and grave markers before coming to rest in a residential yard. According to the investigation, a 1999 Ford F250 operated by 21-year-old Kellen Phillip Beaver of North Bend, Nebraska, had been traveling southbound on Racine Avenue and lost control of his vehicle entering into Quasqueton. The vehicle went through the cemetery before coming to rest south of the cemetery.
No injuries were reported.
Following a preliminary investigation, Beaver was arrested and charged with first offense Operating While Intoxicated/Impaired (serious misdemeanor). He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control and Failure to Maintain Proper Speed. A passenger in the vehicle was cited for open container.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Quasqueton Fire Department and AMR Ambulance Service.
(TOP PHOTO of pickup truck and accident scene via sheriff’s office.)
