A 22-year-old Sheldon man faces three counts of child endangerment after a Sioux County deputy reported he drove across the center line and onto the shoulder with children in his SUV on Halloween night.
According to complaints filed in Sioux County District Court, the sheriff’s office received a report of a dangerous driver on Saturday, October 31. A deputy said Yabit Alexander Meza-Cortes was driving a Dodge Journey east on 400th Street near Kingbird Avenue shortly before 8 p.m. The deputy reported that the SUV swerved and changed speeds. A traffic citation lists his speed at 69 mph in a 60-mph zone.
The deputy said Meza-Cortes had slurred speech, bloodshot and watery eyes, and an odor of alcohol on his breath. According to the complaint, Meza-Cortes told the deputy he drank two beers before driving. The deputy reported an alcohol concentration of .214.
Meza-Cortes was charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated and three counts of child endangerment. He was also cited for speeding and driving on the wrong side of a two-way highway.
Sioux County Jail records show Meza-Cortes was released on November 1 after a bondsman posted his $6,000 bond.
