Iowa City police arrest man who crashed car into a tree

IOWA CITY - Police have arrested a Cedar Rapids man who was pulled from a burning car that he had crashed into a tree earlier this year.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, officers were called to the area of Muscatine Avenue and Second Street around 3:12 a.m. July 21 for a car that had crashed into a tree. Police said the vehicle, a 2009 Audi A4, caught fire and the driver - 22-year-old Seth W. Gilmore - was unconscious inside. A passer-by pulled Gilmore from the burning vehicle.

Police said Gilmore - who was still unconscious - was taken to the hospital for treatment. Blood and urine specimens were taken and an analysis at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation laboratory showed Gilmore's blood alcohol content to be .268 percent, more than three times the legal limit of .08 percent.

Police said Gilmore did not have permission to drive the vehicle. He was arrested Friday and faces charges of second-degree theft, a Class D felony; and drunken driving, a serious misdemeanor. If convicted, Gilmore faces up to six years in prison.

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