December has been a busy month for the Guthrie County Attorney’s office and law enforcement.

County Attorney Brenna Bird provided an update to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday on how the month has been.

“We have had a very busy December. A lot of drugs and drunk driving or drugged driving. I would anticipate that to be the case perhaps even over New Year’s with what we’ve been seeing, so ask people to be safe on the road.”

Bird says there are a few factors involved in the increased cases.

“I think it’s drug and alcohol abuse, people being stressed, people being home, and just all the demands on law enforcement. Law enforcement doesn’t just get called for crimes. They get called for when people are having a psychological breakdown, all kinds of things are happening and they’re getting calls, so our law enforcement is stretched very thin. Some people think that because of COVID the laws aren’t going to be enforced because some places have pulled back. That’s not the case here. If somebody is going to get drunk, there’s no reason they need to be on the road.”

Iowa code says operating a motor vehicle in the state implies consent for drug and alcohol testing. Refusal to submit to chemical testing could result in a one-year revocation of the driver’s license for a first offense.