BOONE, Iowa—The Boone County Sheriff’s Department has updated information on damage sustained by a vehicle traveling on Highway 169 in Boone County. Today, the department investigated the damage that was caused and updated information on their Facebook page:

Due to the seriousness of this matter, Boone County Deputies took a closer look at the vehicle that was damaged on Hwy 169 south of Hwy 30. This damage was thought to be from a bullet. Deputies removed the sound dampening material underneath the hood to take a closer look and forensically document the damage. They discovered that the damage was actually caused by a square steel rod (see photo). The metal rod was not visible without removing material from the hood. This metal debris had enough velocity to pierce through the headlight, metal headlight bracket, and the hood of the vehicle much like a bullet would behave. It’s thought to have come from an oncoming vehicle. We are thankful the driver wasn’t injured and that we were able to determine this in fact, was not from a bullet.

The driver was originally unaware this damage had occurred and left the scene. It was remotely reported two days after the incident. The driver and vehicle are not residence of Boone County.

This can serve as a reminder that it is always important to secure your loads when you’re traveling down the road. Even the smallest objects can turn into deadly missiles that can easily pierce a windshield and take a life.

When it comes to the safety of the public and crime awareness, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office will ALWAYS favor getting information out to the public as quickly as possible, even before an investigation is complete. In this situation, the damage seen was exactly the same as what a bullet from a high powered rifle would look like. Should there have been somebody out there taking aim on vehicles with a rifle, waiting to disclose this to the public would have been unacceptable.

(contributed information and photos, BCSO)