Hunter
02/18/20
Reportedly backing into a police car has led to the arrest of an Iowa City man on OWI charges.
According to arrest reports, officers observed 60-year-old Paul Belding of McClean Street in the area of North Summit Street and Dewey Street at about 12:10am Tuesday, driving from one side of the road to the other. A traffic stop was initiated, and as an officer was walking up to Belding’s vehicle, he reportedly put his car in reverse and hit the officer’s vehicle.
Belding allegedly failed to follow directions to turn off his car and attempted to put it in drive. He reportedly smelled of ingested alcohol, had bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech and according to the officer’s report, “could barely stand up.”
Belding allegedly told the officer that he had been drinking at the Hilltop Tavern and added that the officer should have pulled him over because he shouldn’t have been driving.
Belding gave a PBT reading of .185 and a subsequent Datamaster reading showed his blood alcohol content at .195.
He was arrested and charged with first offense OWI, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a sentence of up to one year.