Hunter
07/23/24
An Iowa City man faces OWI charges after allegedly being observed having difficulty parking his vehicle.
Thursday morning just before 8:30, 57-year-old Herman Sims was driving a Chevy Trailblazer with temporary plates in the parking lot at 501 Southgate. A staff member reported that Sims first hit a curb, then made a six-point turn in the lot, pumping the brakes and gas aggressively. He reportedly tried to park in a space but failed to stay within the painted yellow lines. Sims allegedly stumbled and fell when he got out of his vehicle.
An Iowa City Police officer arrived on scene and made contact with Sims, who by that time was about ten parking spaces down from his vehicle. He was allegedly observed with bloodshot watery eyes and smelled of ingested alcohol. Sims reportedly stated that he had been operating the vehicle 20-30 minutes before police arrived, and that he had “a couple coolers.” After showing impairment on field tests, Sims submitted to a PBT showing his breath-alcohol level of .166 percent. A subsequent Datamaster test at the Iowa City Police station showed it at .146 percent.
Sims was charged with first offense OWI, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a jail term of up to one year if convicted.