Ottumwa police say they found an intoxicated man inside a running vehicle that was stolen earlier in the day.
27-year-old Jesus Alvarez of Ottumwa has been charged with second-degree theft, operating while intoxicated – second offense, and driving under revocation.
Court records say on September 6 at 5:41 PM, Alvarez took a car key from the victim’s dresser and drove away in the victim’s vehicle.
Later at 10:19 PM, Alvarez was seen in the driver’s seat of the stolen vehicle at a residence on the 100 block of North Ward Street, according to police. Alvarez allegedly drove to the property and had empty alcohol containers in the vehicle. Alvarez claimed to not have had anything to drink since arriving at the residence.
The criminal complaint states Alvarez consented to a Standardized Field Sobriety Test which indicated that he was intoxicated. Alvarez, who officers say displayed bloodshot, watery eyes and slurred speech, also consented to a preliminary breath test which resulted in a reading above the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08%.
According to authorities, Alvarez was driving under revoked status due to a previous OWI offense.
Alvarez was transported to the Wapello County Jail. Bond information was not listed in the court records as of publication.
