Sheldon, Iowa — A Lake City man has been arrested on OWI and felony drug charges after a traffic stop in Sheldon this week.
A 38-year-old Lake City man, Joseph DeVries, is accused of impaired driving and possessing illegal substances after a criminal complaint was filed by the Sheldon Police Department.
In his statement, the officer says the traffic stop was initiated due to DeVries not having his headlights on on Highway 18. Sobriety tests indicated he was under the influence. A preliminary blood test showed his blood-alcohol level was above 0.08, and a later test showed his level to be 0.113. During the stop, the officer says DeVries told him there were open containers in the vehicle, so the officer went to retrieve them, when he smelled the odor of marijuana. A search was conducted, and a substance thought to be cocaine and a bag with several pills were located. Some of the pills were MDMA and methamphetamine.
DeVries was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance -third or subsequent offense, and failure to affix a drug tax stamp, all class D felonies. If convicted, DeVries could face up to five years in prison on each felony charge. He also vaces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana and operating under the influence.
He faces a preliminary hearing on January 20th.
DeVries was booked into the O’Brien County Jail in Primghar, and was released the next day after posting a surety bond.
