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Driver On Prescription Drugs Runs Car Through House, Police Say

LOGAN COUNTY (KFSM) – No one was hurt when a driver on prescription drugs ran a vehicle through the side of a house near Booneville, according to Arkansas State...

LOGAN COUNTY (KFSM) – No one was hurt when a driver on prescription drugs ran a vehicle through the side of a house near Booneville, according to Arkansas State Police.

The home belongs to Randy Roper. He told 5NEWS he has three kids, but they weren't home at the time.

Emergency crews and police responded to the home on Arkansas 23 south of Booneville last Tuesday (Feb. 3). shortly after a sport utility vehicle ran through the side bedroom and bathroom.  Roper was in the garage on the opposite side of the house when the crash happened and said it sounded like a bomb went off.

"In 2005 to 2013, I was in Iraq and Afghanistan and I know what those bombs sound like," he said.

James Smith, of Clarksville, was driving a 1998 Ford Explorer southbound on the highway, when the vehicle left the roadway, traveled 611 feet and struck the house, according to an Arkansas State Police crash report. Neither Smith, nor any of his three passengers, were badly injured in the wreck. Two children were in the SUV at the time.

"The little boy had a bump on his head  and his face was bruised and had like blood coming out of his mouth. It was kind of sad. He was like all in shock then I grabbed him and took him out," Roper said.

The crash report lists careless driving and use of prescription drugs as contributing factors to the wreck. Smith told investigating officers he had taken Soma and Percocet earlier in the day. Soma is a muscle relaxer, and Percocet is a pain reliever, according to WebMD.

Emergency medical services, firefighters and Arkansas State Police assisted at the scene. Roper said the insurance adjuster estimated $43,000 worth of damage, but the homeowner said it will cost him much more to repair everything.

One of Smith's passengers told investigators the driver had run off the road earlier in their journey from Clarksville to Waldron. They switched drivers, then switched back after Smith told her he was feeling better, the crash report states.

Smith was cited on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and endangering the welfare of minors, police said.

Driver On Prescription Drugs Runs Car Through House, Police Say

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