General Manager Suspended from Toyota of Des Moines After Fourth OWI Charge

The general manager of Toyota of Des Moines was suspended after his fourth arrest for operating while intoxicated over the weekend, the Des Moines Register reported.

Steve Luebke, 55, already had three previous OWI convictions in the past 15 years and a guilty plea to providing false police report in Johnston in May, the Register reported.

On Saturday, Luebke reportedly lost control of his vehicle and hit a bridge while driving northbound on Iowa Highway 415 near Saylorville Lake, the Register reported.

Dealership owner Gene Gabus told the Register Luebke had been suspended pending a formal meeting with corporate owners.

Gabus asked why the issue was any business of the Register.

“I don’t think it’s a public issue,” Gabus said to the Register. “It’s a business issue between me and Mr. Luebke. … He’s suspended, and what we decide will be kept in confidence.”

Court records obtained by the Register showed Luebke reported his 2006 Lexus GS300 as stolen from the AmericInn Hotel in Johnston, when he knew it was at Joe's Pub, where he had been drinking.

Johnston Police Lt. Lynn Aswegan told the Des Moines Register this spring that Luebke rented a room at the hotel on Feb. 28.

According to the newspaper, Luebke was sure he had clear recollection of the incident.

Aswegan said officials believe it was more than a memory lapse and that's why he was charged.

Luebke pleaded guilty on May 16 and was sentenced to 12 months probation and a deferred judgment, according to the Des Moines Register.

Luebke's prior convictions for OWI came in 1997 and 2007, and an arrest in Marion County in 2001 ended in a guilty plea, the Register reported.