Iowa man arrested for OWI and drug charges after being found unconscious

Hunter
11/08/22

An Iowa man was arrested last week after he was found unconscious behind the wheel and found to be under the influence.

A Johnson County Sheriff’s deputy found 51-year-old Thomas Meyer of Parnell on the ramp from US 218 North to Highway 1 just before 1am. After he woke up, Meyer reportedly performed poorly on field testing and showed measurable signs of impairment. A search of his person allegedly found a bag of suspected meth in his front right pocket, and a glass pipe in the left pocket with suspected meth residue. A second pipe was located under Meyer’s vehicle seat.

Arrest reports indicate that Meyer admitted to smoking meth a few hours before. A preliminary breath test detected no alcohol in his bloodstream, and Meyer declined both a DRE evaluation and a urine test.

The arresting deputy said that when asked what time he thought it was, Meyer believed it to be 6am instead of 1am.

He was taken into custody and charged with his first OWI, a controlled substance violation, and possession of drug paraphernalia. If convicted on all counts, Meyer could be sentenced to over two years in jail.