Hunter
12/26/20
Driving on expired plates and stopping in the middle of a crosswalk late Christmas Eve led to OWI charges against an Iowa City man.
Police say 25-year-old Samuel Buatti of Saddle Club Road Northeast was observed at the intersection of Highway Six and Gilbert Street just after 11:45pm in his 2011 Jeep Wrangler, stopped in the crosswalk area with expired registration. Upon contact, Buatti denied having a driver’s license on him, and gave the name of an individual 7 years older than him. He provided his real identity when confronted.
Buatti also reportedly denied drinking, but showed measurable impairment on field testing. He allegedly refused further chemical testing, an evidentiary urine test, blood test, or other chemical testing.
A check of his court records showed that Buatti was wanted for failure to appear on November 22nd, 2019, on a previous OWI and marijuana possession charges stemming from an October incident that year. He was taken into custody and charged with OWI, providing false ID information,and driving while suspended. If convicted on Thursday’s charges, he could be sentenced to up to 13 months in jail.