Johnston man charged with homicide by vehicle in Ankeny drag race that led to 2 deaths

Luke Nozicka
The Des Moines Register

A central Iowa man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion he caused the death of a Colfax man during an August drag racing crash in Ankeny, authorities said.

Brandon Joseph Ferin, 21, of Johnston, was charged with homicide by vehicle — drag racing, a class D felony, court records show. Two people died in the crash.

Driving his red 2005 Chevy Silverado, Ferin was involved in a drag race Aug. 25 with a white Chevy Silverado between the 400 and 800 blocks of South Ankeny Boulevard, reaching 70 to 80 mph in a 35 mph speed limit zone, authorities said.

Brandon Joseph Ferin

The white Chevy Silverado lost control and rolled, ejecting the driver and his passenger, Brad Stover, 41, before striking a black Honda Pilot. Stover and Ronald Girtz, 50, of Pine City, Minnesota, died at the scene, police have said.

Ferin spoke with officers at the scene and cooperated in the investigation, according to a criminal complaint. He was issued a traffic citation for drag racing, a detective said.

Ferin was booked shortly after 4:20 a.m. in the Polk County Jail and was released before 10 a.m., jail records show. He could not immediately be reached for comment and did not yet have an attorney listed as of Tuesday morning.

The wreck occurred shortly after 8:30 p.m. on a Saturday.

At the time, police said a pickup truck left the roadway and went into the parking lot of a McDonalds, where it struck a second vehicle. The vehicles came to a rest in the parking lot of Taco John's to the north.

Two people in the vehicle that was struck by the truck were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Investigators believed speed was a critical factor in the crash.

Ankeny police could not immediately be reached for additional information.

Ferin's preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 21.

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