North Liberty man flips Jeep, keeps driving, gets an OWI charge

CORALVILLE - A North Liberty man who allegedly drove drunk, rolled his Jeep and kept driving has turned himself in on a drunken driving charge.

According to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, around 7:11 a.m. Oct. 15, the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communication Center took a report of a rollover in the southbound lanes of Interstate 380 at the westbound off-ramp of Interstate 80. Witnesses reported that a Jeep was southbound, tried to enter the westbound off-ramp, rolled and then became upright. Once back on its wheels, the Jeep continued eastbound on Interstate 80 from Interstate 380, authorities said.

Deputies caught up to the Jeep on Interstate 80 near the Dodge Street exit in Iowa City. Authorities said the Jeep had a crushed front passenger side A-Post, a broken passenger side mirror and damage from a rollover.

Authorities pulled over the driver, 28-year-old Joseph T. Farmer III, and detected signs of intoxication. Farmer was evaluated by paramedics at the scene and had minor injuries. Deputies said Farmer showed signs of being impaired by alcohol and marijuana during field sobriety tests. A preliminary breath test showed Farmer's blood alcohol content to be .083 percent and a subsequent test showed his blood alcohol content to be below .08 percent.

Farmer provided deputies with a urine sample and it later tested positive for marijuana, authorities said. He turned himself in to the Johnson County Jail on Dec. 13 and faces one count of operating under the influence, a serious misdemeanor.

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