Illinois man arrested for OWI minutes after being cited for public intoxication

Hunter
02/14/20

An Illinois man was taken into custody early Friday for allegedly driving while intoxicated after being cited for public intoxication minutes before.

According to police, 22-year-old Brendan Ruhl of Ottawa Illinois was among individuals involved in a fight call around 2am. Ruhl reportedly had the strong odor of ingested alcohol, thick, slurred speech, bloodshot watery eyes, and was wearing bar wristbands. He allegedly told law enforcement that he had been drinking for a couple of hours and most recently had been at Pints in downtown Iowa City. Ruhl was cited for public intoxication.

The officer reports that he then observed Ruhl walk into the Dubuque Street Ramp in downtown Iowa City minutes later. He pulled into the ramp and saw a vehicle pull out of the area where Ruhl allegedly was. He followed the vehicle until it pulled into a parking spot, and Ruhl exited the vehicle.

Ruhl agreed to field testing, which allegedly showed numerous signs of impairment. He refused to provide a PBT sample, but reportedly said if he did it would be below the legal limit, although it would be close.

Ruhl did provide a sample on a Datamaster, which showed a blood-alcohol level of .180. He was taken into custody and charged with Operating while Under the Influence First Offense, a serious misdemeanor. With the public intoxication charge, Ruhl could be sentenced to up to 13 months in jail if he’s convicted on both counts.