North Liberty police say man was driving with .454 percent blood alcohol level

Police said a North Liberty man was driving with a blood-alcohol content between five and nearly six times the legal limit in August.

According to a North Liberty police criminal complaint, on Aug. 4 at 7:38 p.m., officers were called to Smokin' Joes for a possible drunk driver. A witness a the liquor and tobacco store said they saw a man get out of a car, come into the store and buy alcohol. The man could barely walk, the witness told police.

Using license plate information, police tracked down the registered owner -- 56-year-old Dennis D. McNatt -- at his home. Police said McNatt admitted to driving to the store and buying a pint of vodka. McNatt also told police he drank a bottle of vodka and a couple of beers before driving to the liquor store, according to the complaint.

Police said McNatt could not stand, had bloodshot, watery eyes and his speech was slurred to the point of being nearly inaudible. A preliminary breath test showed McNatt's blood alcohol was .403 percent, or five times the legal limit of .08 percent to operate a motor vehicle. A blood draw later showed McNatt's blood-alcohol content was .454 percent.

McNatt's elevated blood-alcohol content required medical treatment, police said. He has since been arrested and charged with drunken driving.