Hunter
04/16/21
A former Iowa basketball player faces charges that he was speeding through a construction zone after smoking marijuana early Friday morning.
According to police, 28-year-old Melsahn Basabe of Clearwater Court was traveling westbound on Interstate 80 near the I-380 construction zone just before 2:30am, where he was reportedly clocked going 70 in the 55 mile-per-hour zone. Basabe was pulled over near the Forevergreen Road exit on I-380 northbound, where an officer noticed a strong odor of marijuana was emanating from the vehicle. Basabe had a bar wristband on and admitted to drinking earlier.
After showing impairment on field sobriety tests, a PBT was conducted, and Basabe’s blood alcohol level was slightly above the legal limit, at .082 percent. A subsequent probable cause search of the vehicle allegedly turned up ashes in the ash tray with particles of a green leafy substance consistent with marijuana. Investigators say they found a rolled-up marijuana blunt in the center console, THC edible wrappers in the glove box, and an empty vape cartridge labeled “kush.”
Basabe refused further Datamaster testing and a urine test. He was taken into custody and charged with OWI first offense and possession of a controlled substance. He could be sentenced to up to two years in jail if convicted on both counts.
Basabe played basketball for the Hawkeyes from 2010-2014.