A Waukee man with a dog was arrested Tuesday afternoon after he “whistled” in a Waukee tavern, “and the bartender did not like it and told him to leave and that he was banned,” according to the Waukee man.
Steven Allen Hartness, 50, of 25 S.E. Windfield Parkway, Waukee, was charged with public intoxication and interference with official acts.
The incident began about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday on S.E. Laurel Street in Waukee, where officers of the Waukee Police Department responded to a report of a man causing a disturbance in a tavern.
The officers arrived and made contact with Hartness and his husky, who had left the tavern and entered a nearby restaurant on Laurel Street.
Hartness allegedly presented with “red, watery, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person,” according to court records.
Hartness told the officers “that he had been drinking today but refused to say how much,” and he allegedly “refused to consent to a preliminary breath test to check his blood alcohol content,” according to court records.
The officers informed Hartness that “he was going to be placed under arrest for public intoxication,” and they directed him “to let go of his dog’s leash and place his hands behind
his back,” but instead he “began to wrap the leash tight around his hands and still refused to let go or place his hands behind his back,” according to court records.
The officers “took him to the ground,” where Hartness “continued to resist and refuse to obey commands to put his hands behind his back or lay on his stomach,” according to court records.
Hartness was held in the Dallas County Jail prior to his release on his own recognizance. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference Oct. 25 in Dallas County District Court.
Hartness was convicted of public intoxication and interference with official acts in 2002 in Black Hawk County District Court. He was convicted of interference with official acts in 2007 in Polk County District Court. He was convicted of interference with official acts in 2012 in Polk County District Court. He was convicted of assault on police officers and others in 2012 in Polk County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
