Hunter
01/29/24
A North Liberty man was arrested Friday evening after allegedly hitting his drinking partner’s vehicle and leaving the scene.
Police were called to 6 Hawkeye Drive on report of a hit and run. The victim alleged said that he and 58-year-old Lavell Barnes of Elm Ridge Drive had been drinking earlier, and when Barnes left, he hit the victim’s car in the parking lot and left the scene.
Officers went to Barnes’ residence and reportedly found him asleep behind the wheel at approximately 6:21 pm. He was woken up and told to get out of the vehicle; instead, he started his car and tried to drive away. Once out of the vehicle, Barnes was allegedly observed with unsteady balance and had the odor of ingested alcohol. A number of open containers were reportedly observed inside the vehicle.
After refusing a PBT, he consented to a Datamaster test at the Coralville Police Department. His BAC was reportedly measured at .242 percent over an hour and a half after police found him.
Barnes has prior OWI convictions in Johnson County from 2016 and 2019. He was charged with a third offense, which is a Class D felony punishable by a prison term of up to five years if convicted.