Sioux Center, Iowa — A Sioux Center woman faces a felony OWI charge after she was allegedly found driving drunk on Tuesday, July 26th.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the Sioux Center Police Department with the Sioux County Clerk of Court, Sioux Center Health staff reported that 32-year-old Elizabeth Schenk of Sioux Center had left their care without their recommendation and was intoxicated. The police officer’s statement says that Schenk left while operating a motor vehicle. It says law enforcement located Schenk, and she was driving. Initially, she did not obey their commands to stop while they activated their top lights on marked patrol vehicles and gave hand signals to stop.
When she did stop, the statement continues that they found Schenk with red and watery eyes and a strong odor of alcoholic beverage. A certified breath test confirmed that her blood alcohol content was 0.249. The legal limit is 0.08.
She was charged with operating while intoxicated. Since Schenk had been convicted at least two other times for OWI, this time the offense was a class D felony, and she could face prison time if convicted.
She was also charged with misdemeanor offenses of operation without an ignition interlock device and failure to maintain safety belts.
Records indicate a preliminary hearing in her case has been set for Tuesday, August 16th.
