Hunter
10/30/20
A Winfield Iowa man was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after his alleged reckless driving ran vehicles off the road, including a school bus and a semi.
The incident occurred between 3:30 and 4pm on the southeast part of town. Multiple 911 calls came in about a GMC Envoy driving recklessly and not only running vehicles off the road, but himself going off the road at least twice.
Officers attempted to stop the driver by deploying lights and sirens, but he continued on, making several turns and looking at officers in his driver side mirror. Police used their PA system to give him verbal commands to stop, and he finally pulled over in the 700 block of Hollywood Boulevard.
The driver, identified as 20-year-old Benjamin Rodgers of Winfield, was allegedly observed with bloodshot, watery eyes, and confused, halting speech. After performing poorly on field testing, a K9 on scene hit on the vehicle and it was searched. Officers reportedly found marijuana shake and a crushed up blunt. Testing showed no alcohol in his system, and a DRE officer concluded that he was under the influence of marijuana, a CNS depressant.
Rodgers admitted smoking, but only as recently as the day before. He did reportedly say that he ingested other prescription drugs that were placed inside a drink he was consuming at 10:00 that morning.
Rodgers was taken into custody and charged with his first OWI, a serious misdemeanor.