Hunter
01/30/23
A Des Moines man arrested for OWI Sunday evening allegedly threatened the lives of Coralville officers and their families.
Officers were called to Tailgators on 1st Avenue at approximately 5:25 pm after 39-year-old Samuel Mondanaro of County Line Road in Des Moines was reportedly discovered unconscious in the parking lot with his Lincoln Navigator running. He agreed to field sobriety testing but then refused after it began.
Mondanaro reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. A can of Twisted Tea was allegedly observed in the back seat.
Mondanaro said he was at Tailgators watching football and drinking beer. Staff at the bar told officers that Mondanaro had 6 beers and six shots within a three-hour period and refused to serve him any more alcohol.
Mondanaro was charged with OWI first offense. When taken to the Coralville Police Department for processing, he allegedly became verbally aggressive and spit on an officer while emitting racial slurs. He is also accused of threatening to cut the officer’s head off and serve it to him on a platter. Mondanaro allegedly threatened to kill the officers involved multiple times, and rape and kill the officers’ children and wives.
On top of the OWI, Mondanaro faces two counts of 1st degree Harassment, Possession of Weapons while Intoxicated, and Assault on a Peace Officer. If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
Back in October, Mondanaro pleaded guilty to Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts charges after allegedly being found undressing himself outside an Iowa City residence. He was fined $335.