Lang
1/17/21
A two-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 Saturday afternoon has led to a Coralville woman’s arrest.
The Iowa State Patrol says 44-year-old Rachel Graham was taking the northbound Highway 218 to eastbound I-80 ramp at 1:45 Saturday afternoon when she collided with another vehicle while merging onto the interstate. There were no reported injuries.
A state trooper says he noticed the smell of ingested alcohol on Graham’s breath while investigating the accident…a smell that grew stronger when she sat inside the patrol car.
Graham allegedly admitted to drinking vodka and Coke before leaving her 10th Avenue residence, seemed confused during her interview with the state trooper, and could not recall details of how the accident happened. She did admit to having a previous Operating While Intoxicated conviction in Johnson County from 2009.
Graham allegedly showed signs of intoxication on field sobriety testing and had a blood alcohol content over .08%. She was transported to University of Iowa Police headquarters on South Capitol Street, where a Datamatser test showed her BAC at .104%.
Graham is charged with OWI- 2nd Offense, Driving While Suspended and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability. If convicted, she faces a maximum of two years in prison.