Hunter
08/24/20
An Iowa City man faces over a year in jail after an alleged drunken driving incident in his South Riverside Drive neighborhood.
Police reports indicate that 23-year-old William Ortiz was observed by multiple residents driving his Ford Taurus recklessly and ending up causing an accident Saturday just before 7pm.
Ortiz got out of his car and started banging on the other driver’s truck windows. He then attempted to assault the man when he got out of his vehicle, but was subdued by neighbors and the driver.
When officers arrived, they allegedly observed Ortiz with the strong smell of ingested alcohol, bloodshot watery eyes, and thick slurred speech. He claimed to officers that he had an issue with the other driver and his being associated with his mother, and denied being intoxicated.
Ortiz refused all testing, and the victim requested a no-contact order. Ortiz was charged with first offense OWI, simple Assault, and Public Intoxication. If convicted on the charges, Ortiz could be sentenced to up to 14 months in jail.