MASON CITY – In what is clearly becoming a dangerous trend, a Mason City woman who recently pled guilty to drunk driving – and was caught for a fourth time last month driving drunk – was caught for a fifth time Friday.
Amber Ann Ward, age 30, is now locked up in the county jail after she was stopped and arrested Friday evening. A Cerro Gordo deputy stopped a vehicle operated by Ward at about 3:51 PM at 24 5th Street SW. The deputy determined that Ward was intoxicated and she was arrested and taken to jail, charged with felony third offense operating while intoxicated. She is being held on $5,000 bond.
Friday’s arrest is just the latest legal entanglement for Ward. She was stopped by a Cerro Gordo deputy at the 400 block of North Penn Avenue after 1 AM on the morning of March 5, 2015, for speeding. During the course of the traffic stop, it was determined that Ward was intoxicated, had an open container of alcohol and had no drivers license. She had her driver’s license revoked due to a plea deal she took in February in a drunk driving case. She had been pulled over on the evening of September 21, 2014 at the Wendy’s restaurant by a Mason City police officer and arrested for second offense drunk driving. On February 9, 2015, she was generously allowed to plead guilty to first offense operating while intoxicated despite being caught three times previously.
During the March 5 traffic stop, the deputy and responding Mason City police officers also discovered drug paraphernalia in Ward’s and her passenger’s possession. Ward was charged with speeding, second offense operating while intoxicated, driving while revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia. Those charges are still playing out in court at this time. The passenger in the car, 18-year-old Brody Alan Buck of Ventura, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and also arrested. He pleaded guilty on March 23 and was ordered to pay $195.00 in fines and court costs.
Ward was also arrested on March 23, 2015 and charged with disorderly conduct, to which she pleaded guilty and was sent to jail for one day.