Iowa Fire Chief Whose Car Struck Pedestrian Is Fined $100

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Charles City fire chief who authorities say struck a pedestrian while driving a city car has been fined.

Eric Whipple was fined $100 after entering an Alford plea to a charge of failing to yield to a pedestrian within an intersection. In an Alford plea, a person doesn't admit guilt but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a likely conviction.

The accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. on March 17. The Floyd County Sheriff's Department says Whipple hit 86-year-old Gladys Kellogg in a downtown crosswalk. She was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

Whipple told investigating officers that he didn't see Kellogg when he made a turn and struck her. Whipple wasn't responding to an emergency at the time.

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