Lang
10/1/21
Allegedly stealing a car to drive to a job interview, then crashing it afterwards has led to an Iowa City man’s arrest.
21-year-old Devarious Suggs of Broadway Street was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 6:45 Friday morning. Iowa City Police say Suggs was a driver in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 6 near Newton Road just before 5:45pm on August 27th. Investigators learned Suggs had left the Coralville Vine just before the accident. He later claimed he was there for a job interview.
Police say Suggs was found a short distance from the accident site covered in burrs and grass, indicating he left the scene and walked into the woods before returning. Suggs allegedly showed signs of intoxication, admitted to drinking and admitted to driving. Police say he failed field sobriety tests and registered blood alcohol levels of .177% and .157%.
A search of the vehicle turned up 3.5 grams of marijuana in the center console and a loaded pistol in the back. At the time, Suggs was arrested and charged with Operating While Intoxicated, Possession of a Weapon While Intoxicated, Possession of a Controlled Substance and Public Intoxication. If convicted on all four charges, Suggs faces a maximum of over three years in prison.
Investigators now say the car Suggs was driving was reported as stolen. Suggs allegedly claimed he had borrowed it for a job interview at The Vine, but didn’t know the registered owner or remember who gave him permission to take it. The owner said she doesn’t know Suggs. He claimed he was returning it to where he found it on Broadway Street when he got into the crash.
There is no indication if the drugs and firearm found inside the car were there before Suggs allegedly stole it or if he brought them with him, although online court records show the original charges against Suggs remain.
Suggs now faces an additional charge of Operating a Vehicle Without Owner’s Consent, an Aggravated Misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.