Hunter
05/10/22
An Iowa City man who fled police after being pulled over for driving without a license plate was charged with his second OWI.
Officers allegedly observed 32-year-old Gregory Baptiste of Shire Lane operating a Dodge near Heinz Road and Triple Crown Lane around 8pm Sunday that had no front license plate and tinted windows. Before a stop was initiated, Baptiste reportedly parked his car and ran through a field.
In the officer’s arrest report, he wrote, “My patrol car is faster than defendant’s legs, and I stopped him without incident.”
Upon contact, Baptiste allegedly had bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. He also reportedly admitted to drinking. After performing poorly on field testing, he failed a PBT and showed a blood alcohol level of .090 on a Datamaster.
Baptiste was charged with his second OWI, an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by a jail sentence of up to two years if convicted.
