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A Le Claire man who was found slumped over behind the wheel on the exit ramp of U.S. Highway 20 and Webster County Road P59 with the vehicle still in drive has been charged with felony eluding and driving drunk after leading an Iowa State Patrol trooper on a brief pursuit through Coalville on Monday.
According to criminal complaints, a "concerned citizen" reported the "poor driving behavior" of 53-year-old Michael Leon Paxton and when ISP Sgt. Wes Niles found Paxton on the exit ramp, he noticed a half-empty bottle of "Jose" (possibly the tequila brand Jose Cuervo) between Paxton's legs and a can of Coors Light beer in the center console. When Niles told Paxton to put the vehicle in park, Paxton instead hit the gas and "took off driving reckless through Coalville."
Paxton allegedly reached speeds of more than 25 miles per hour above the speed limit, blowing through at least four stop signs during the pursuit, according to criminal complaints..
The pursuit came to an end when Paxton turned onto a dead end street, lost control and went down an embankment. He then fled on foot to the Des Moines River and was apprehended when he had nowhere else to run. Niles also alleged that Paxton fought him when the trooper tried to cuff him and take him into custody.
Paxton refused all sobriety testing, but Niles reported that the driver's speech was "very slurred" and he smelled strongly of alcohol.
Paxton was charged with eluding over 25 miles per hour over the speed limit, a Class D felony; operating while under the influence – second offense, an aggravated misdemeanor; and interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor.
Paxton had his initial appearance in Webster County Magistrate Court on Tuesday morning. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 30 and he is being held on a $5,000 cash bond for the eluding charge, as well as a $2,000 cash or surety bond on the OWI charge.
Paxton also collected citations for open container, failure to obey a stop sign, speeding and driving while under suspension.