Hunter
04/17/25
A West Liberty man was charged with OWI after nearly hitting pedestrians in downtown Iowa City.
19-year-old Emilio Escareno-Murillo of East 3rd Street was allegedly observed driving on Washington Street at approximately 2:25am April 11th. He reportedly squealed his tires and drove through an intersection, nearly hitting multiple people who were crossing the street. The pedestrians yelled at Escareno-Murillo to get him to stop and pay attention.
When officers came in contact with him, he was allegedly found with bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, the odor of alcohol on his breath, and vomit on his clothing. After showing measurable signs of impairment on field tests, he reportedly provided a Datamaster breath-alcohol reading of .178 percent.
Escareno-Murillo was taken into custody and charged with OWI first offense and Careless Driving, He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.