Hunter
05/28/21
Driving without a front license plate just after closing time Friday morning led to the OWI arrest of a Coralville man in downtown Iowa City.
Police stopped 19-year-old Piero Ortiz Cruz of 4th Avenue just before 2:10 am for making an improper turn and for failure to display a front license plate while he was operating his vehicle at the intersection of Capitol and Burlington Streets. Upon contact, Ortiz Cruz reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, impaired balance, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. After reportedly admitting to drinking, he showed measurable impairment on field testing and provided a Datamaster test showing his blood alcohol level to be .141 percent.
The arresting officer located a fake Michigan ID in Ortiz Cruz’ wallet, showing his real name but a fictitious date of birth making him appear to be of legal drinking age.
Ortiz Cruz faces up to two years in jail if convicted on OWI and Possession of a Fictitious ID charges.