Iowa City woman arrested for OWI after crashing into house

Hunter
08/10/23

An Iowa City woman was arrested for her second OWI after allegedly crashing into a house.

Officers were called to the Tower Court residence of 61-year-old Wendi Clark for reports of a vehicle collision into a house.  Witnesses on scene told officers that they saw Clark get into a Buick and revved the vehicle in the driveway. When she put the vehicle in reverse, she allegedly drove through the front yard of the residence and crashed into the stairs.  She then reportedly drove the vehicle into the porch of the adjacent property.

Upon contact, Clark allegedly showed signs of intoxication, including slow slurred speech, the scent of ingested alcohol, and poor balance.  Police say she couldn’t follow instructions to complete field sobriety tests, and refused a PBT. Clark did consent to a Datamaster test at the Police Department,  reportedly showing her blood-alcohol level at .239, nearly three times the legal limit to drive.

Clark was charged with her second OWI, having a prior conviction in Linn County from 2019. If convicted, she could be sentenced to up to two years in jail.