A tipsy Urbandale man was arrested Monday after his van struck an impact attenuator in use at an interstate work site, and he threatened to kill a law enforcement officer.
Sunil Panday, 21, of 8509 Ridgemont Dr., Urbandale, was charged with first-offense OWI, first-degree harassment, interference with official acts, false report to 911, failure to stop in assured clear distance, operating without a valid license and violation of financial liability coverage.
The incident began about 2 p.m. Monday near the 110 mile marker of westbound U.S. Interstate 80, where an Iowa State Patrol Trooper responded to a report of an accident.
The trooper made contact with Panday, who was seated in the passenger seat of the 2012 Dodge van, and Panday told the trooper that “he was only the passenger, and the driver had fled” the accident scene, according to court records.
The trooper spoke “with multiple other witnesses,” and “no individual was seen fleeing the vehicle,” according to court records.
Panday first identified the driver as Cabbai Bhandari and “eventually gave the name of Waldo or Walo for the name of the driver,” according to court records.
In speaking with Panday, the trooper “observed the odor of alcohol emitting from his person” and “observed his eyes to be bloodshot and watery” and “his speech to be slurred,” according to court records.
Panday refused to take standard field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test. He was placed under arrest and seated in the trooper’s patrol vehicle, where he “called 911 emergency communications two times to ask them a question about his vehicle being towed,” according to court records.
When the trooper entered the patrol vehicle, Panday allegedly “got upset and stated, ‘I’m going to kill you, bitch,'” according to court records.
Panday is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $3,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 28 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
