Iowa City man charged with Child Endangerment when arrested for OWI

Hunter
11/27/23

An Iowa City man was arrested for OWI over the weekend with a baby in his vehicle.

Police stopped 22-year-old Kayshawn Johnson of Marcy Street at approximately 9:40pm Saturday near the intersection of Plum and Highland Streets for concerns about his level of intoxication, as they observed him smoking what they believed to be marijuana.  Upon contact, an odor of cannabis was allegedly observed in the vehicle, and Johnson reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes.

He showed measurable impairment on field testing, but a chemical test showed his BAC inconsistent with his level of intoxication.  A drug influence evaluation was conducted and concluded that Johnson was unable to operate a vehicle safely.

A small baby was in the back seat of the vehicle and was determined to be impaired by a DRE officer on scene.

Johnson was charged with OWI, marijuana possession, and child endangerment. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to up to 4 years in jail.