JONESBORO, Ark. — A man is facing significant prison time after being arrested for driving while intoxicated for a fifth time in Jonesboro.
On August 10, 2024, officers with the Jonesboro Police Department responded to Red Wolf and Stallings for an accident with injury, according to the probable cause affidavit. Officers reported a red Ford F-150 was traveling north on Red Wolf when it collided with a traffic signal pole. The front of the truck was wrapped around the pole. Detective Madison Dobbs wrote that the vehicle and traffic pole sustained extreme damage.
The driver, Michael Bowen, 35, was conscious but not responsive, police said. Officers learned he had four prior DWI arrests and an interlock device in the pickup he was driving. Bowen told firefights on the scene that he had just gotten out of rehab for alcohol and had been drinking before the accident, according to the affidavit.
Bowen was transported to the hospital for his injuries, where a search warrant for his blood was executed. However, he was admitted to the medical facility due to his serious injuries.
Jail records show at 1:01 p.m. on Dec. 23, Bowen was finally arrested. He faces a charge of DWI-V, a felony.
Under Arkansas law, a person’s fifth DWI conviction comes with imprisonment for at least two years (three if a person under 16 is present) but no more than ten years. Circuit Judge Barbara Halsey conducted probable cause hearings on Thursday, Dec. 26, and warned Bowen he faces “a lot” of jail time. Bowen quietly responded that he understood.
Previously, Judge Tommy Fowler had set bail at $20,000 cash-only for Bowen. Halsey did not change the bail amount. Halsey noted the condition that the suspect is not allowed to drive if released. She did withdraw the requirement for an alcohol monitor, suggesting it was redundant.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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I think Bowen got a bum rap