Police: North Liberty man arrested after drunkenly touching himself in parking lot

NORTH LIBERTY - A North Liberty man was arrested Wednesday evening after he was observed drunkenly touching himself in a parking lot, police said.

According to North Liberty police criminal complaints, officers were called to the parking lot of 615 Westwood Dr. around 4:40 p.m. As police arrived on the scene, Luke A. Curry, 32, was observed backing out of a parking spot.

Police said when they stopped Curry to speak with him, they noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle. Curry initially denied drinking, police said.

When officers asked Curry about reports that he was touching himself, he claimed he had changed from shorts to jeans, police said. That contradicted a statement from a witness who said Curry had been fully exposed.

Police said Curry eventually admitted to touching himself. When police asked him to exit his vehicle, his pants were still undone, according to criminal complaints.

Curry eventually admitted to consuming alcohol and performed poorly on standard field sobriety tests, police said. An initial breath test showed a blood alcohol content of .231 percent, nearly three times above the legal limit. Subsequent testing at the Coralville Police Department showed his blood alcohol content to be .203 percent.

Curry faces charges of indecent exposure and drunken driving, both serious misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail.

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com