25-year-old Jefferson Stack of Coral Court, faces charges of Operating While Intoxicated (OWI) following a disturbing incident of alleged reckless driving, including an attempt to race an ambulance responding to an emergency call, according to Iowa’s local station KCJJ.
The incident unfolded around 2 a.m. when inside the ambulance, the reporting party noticed Stack’s erratic behavior, describing how he dangerously attempted to “drag race” their vehicle despite its emergency lights being activated. While other vehicles yielded the right of way, Stack allegedly did not, raising concerns of impairment or distraction.
A deputy encountered Stack after he exited the interstate, where he displayed hesitancy in making a turn with a green light, followed by speeding and running a red light. Stack exhibited signs of impairment, such as red watery eyes and slowed speech, admitting to consuming alcohol earlier. Field sobriety tests yielded poor results, and he subsequently refused a preliminary breath test. A subsequent Datamaster test indicated a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .087.
Stack now faces charges of first-offense OWI, a serious misdemeanor carrying a potential jail sentence of up to one year if convicted.