Hunter
07/31/23
An Iowa City man who was known by police to be revoked from a previous OWI was charged with the offense again after allegedly leaving a downtown bar via vehicle.
32-year-old Michael Degruccio of Friendship Street was reportedly seen leaving a downtown bar at around 1am Monday and walking with extremely unsteady balance. According to officers, he returned to his vehicle and attempted to reverse out of a parking space when they conducted a traffic stop. Degruccio allegedly drove up on a curb at that time.
Upon contact, he had a strong odor of ingested alcohol, bloodshot watery eyes, and slurred speech. Degruccio allegedly admitted to consuming multiple drinks and could still feel their effects. He performed poorly on field sobriety tests, and a test of his blood-alcohol level showed it at .239 percent, just under three times the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.
Degruccio was charged with OWI second offense and Driving while Revoked. If convicted on both counts, he could be sentenced to up to three years in jail.