Hunter
01/27/20
An Iowa City man has been taken into custody after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase early Sunday morning.
According to arrest reports, 23-year-old Arturo Henderson of West Benton Street was on parole on Trafficking in Stolen Weapons, Domestic Abuse and Theft charges but reportedly violated his parole, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on December 23rd.
At approximately 5:55am, Henderson was observed purchasing items at the Kum and Go on South Riverside Drive and an officer confirmed that the warrants were still current. Henderson left the store and as the officer tried to make contact, Henderson allegedly got into a vehicle that is registered to a person who he’s in a protective order with. The officer asked Henderson out of the vehicle, but Henderson reportedly shook his head no and began driving away, ignoring commands to stop.
The officer activated lights and siren but Henderson exited the parking lot, heading westbound on Benton Street at a high rate of speed. He reportedly got to the 300 block of West Benton Street and attempted to turn into a driveway, but lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the front porch of the residence.
Police say Henderson then ran from the vehicle and entered the residence of the person he has the protective order with. They then conducted a protective sweep of the residence and allegedly found Henderson in the same area as the other person.
Henderson was taken into custody and allegedly had the odor of burnt marijuana and ingested alcohol. He was taken to the Police Department for testing, where Henderson reportedly admitted to drinking the previous night and smoking marijuana earlier.
PBT and Datamaster testing showed Henderson under the legal limit but a DRE Officer determined that he was under the influence of marijuana.
Henderson was charged with his second OWI, Eluding, Interference with Official Acts and Violation of a No-Contact Order. If convicted on all charges stemming from Sunday’s incident, Henderson could be sentenced to over 3 years in prison.