I.C. police say officer was right in arresting man who called police on himself

Iowa City police believe the arresting officer did the right thing when he arrested a man for drunk driving after the man called the police on himself.

Sgt. Troy Kelsay said the man's alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit and was sitting behind the wheel of a running vehicle. By that criteria, an OWI arrest is inevitable, he said.

The comment section on TheGazette.com was very active after the story was posted Monday morning. Several people debated on whether police should have arrested the man or if they should have called a cab and let the man go after calling the police on himself.

“It's pretty simple. If you drive drunk, you're going to jail,” Kelsay said. “He was over two and a half times the limit. He didn't call and say ‘I'm stranded here.' He chose to drive drunk and when the officer made contact with the man, he acted appropriately in arresting him.”

According to a criminal complaint, police responded to 900 Highway 6 East at 8:30 a.m. Christmas morning after a man called 911, but the dispatcher was unsure of the problem because the caller spoke little English. Police traced the location of the call and found 25-year-old Francisco Castro behind the wheel of a running vehicle.

After questioning, Castro allegedly told police he dialed 911 because he felt too intoxicated to continue driving.

After taking a preliminary breath test, Castro's blood-alcohol content was .220, police said. Police also found an open container of hard liquor in the vehicle.

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