Hunter
09/10/20
An Iowa City woman was taken into custody for OWI after allegedly fleeing the scene of an accident.
Police say 18-year-old Bethany Kinlein of Graslon Drive was observed driving recklessly on Heinz road Tuesday about 6:15pm after leaving the accident. She stopped for police in the 2700 block after going two blocks past where officers deployed lights and siren.
Kinlein reportedly had slurred speech and was confused, insisting that she had not gotten into an accident. She also was unable to find her ID or her phone. Field testing discovered measurable impairment. A DRE conducted an evaluation and determined that Kinlein was under the influence of a CNS depressant and marijuana.
She attempted to back away from officers until one of them took physical control of her arm to keep her from moving, and is accused of tensing up and attempting to pull away from police. She was brought to a squad car and verbally instructed at least three times to enter the vehicle. She allegedly refused to do so and instead yelled at officers not to touch her. She eventually did enter the squad car.
She’s been charged with OWI first offense, a serious misdemeanor, and interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor. If convicted on both charges, she could be sentenced to 13 months in jail.