Iowa City man found over three times legal limit to drive when arrested for OWI

Hunter
09/13/21

An Iowa City man was arrested early Monday morning after being found too intoxicated to drive.

According to police, 39-year-old Luis Meza Gallegos of South Governor Street was observed at the corner of Prentiss and Gilbert Streets at about 12:15 am. He allegedly stopped his vehicle in a crosswalk, and then sat through two green light cycles without moving.

Upon contact, Meza Gallegos reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, unsteady balance, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. He allegedly admitted to drinking and being drunk. After showing measurable impairment on field sobriety tests, he consented to a Datamaster, which showed his blood-alcohol level at .253 percent, over three times the legal limit to drive.

Meza Gallegos was charged with OWI first offense, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a jail term of up to one year if convicted.