Hunter
11/27/22
A Massachusetts man who was stopped on an equipment violation over the weekend has been charged with his 3rd OWI.
The incident in question took place just after 1:30 am Saturday near the intersection of Camp Cardinal Boulevard and James Street in Coralville. According to the arresting officer, he pulled 56-year-old Richard Moreno of Worcester over because of a non-functioning license plate light. There was also a discrepancy with the vehicle’s color; the NCIC had the 2007 Ford Focus listed as blue, but it was clearly silver in color.
Upon contact, Moreno reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, and the odor of ingested alcohol. An open can of Smirnoff Ice was allegedly found in the vehicle, and its contents were about a third gone. Moreno reportedly stated that he had just left the American Legion.
The arrest reports describe Moreno as very argumentative, saying that he had to be pulled out of the vehicle to perform field tests. He reportedly refused chemical testing, resisted officer commands, and yelled derogatory comments . A check of his driving record found two prior OWIs in Johnson County from May this year and from August 2017. His driving status was found to be revoked for OWI test failure.
Moreno was charged with his third OWI, Driving while Revoked, Interference with Official Acts, and having an open container. If convicted on all counts, he could be sentenced to over six years in prison.