An Adair County man who accused Winterset police of arresting him without cause is settling his lawsuit for $86,000.
Ryan Elgin alleged that Winterset police Officer Logan Camp stopped his vehicle without cause in October 2022. He Elgin, whose child was in the car, said that although he passed field sobriety tests and breath and urine tests for drugs, Camp charged him with driving under the influence and child endangerment, while also informing the Iowa Department of Transportation to begin license-suspension proceedings against him.
Why did police accuse Elgin of impaired driving?
The city’s arrest report said Camp believed Elgin smelled strongly of alcohol and displayed “clues of intoxication” prior to his arrest. A breath test during the traffic stop found Elgin’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.047, well below the legal limit of 0.08.
Prosecutors dismissed the charges against Elgin in April 2023, and the case has since been expunged. In his lawsuit, filed in December, Elgin accused Camp and Winterset of false arrest, unreasonable seizure and negligence.