Stoned "Selfie" Star Pleads To Criminal Rap

DECEMBER 16--A young Iowan who giddily snapped an in-custody Snapchat selfie with his arresting officer has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence, according to court records.

Gilbert Phelps, a University of Iowa student, this month copped to a misdemeanor charge stemming from his August arrest near the school’s Iowa City campus.

A District Court judge sentenced Phelps, 20, to one year of unsupervised probation, ordered him to perform community service, and fined the collegian $625.

Phelps, driving a 2000 Toyota Camry, was pulled over for speeding and having an obstructed registration sticker, according to a criminal complaint. While questioning Phelps, Iowa City Police Department Officer Ben Hektoen smelled the odor of “ingested alcohol” inside the car.

At that point, Hektoen noted, Phelps confessed to “smoking marijuana prior to driving.” During subsequent field sobriety tests, Phelps displayed “measurable impairment.”

A Breathalyzer test showed that Phelps had a .0 blood alcohol content, but Hektoen concluded that the suspect was “under the influence of cannabis and was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle.”

While being tested, Hektoen reported, “the defendant requested to take a SnapChat selfie with me to which I happily obliged.” Seen above, the photo shows the cop flashing a thumbs-up sign while Phelps smiles for his smartphone.

After Phelps snapped the picture, he told Hektoen that he “captioned the photo using emoji icons showing a police car, next to a passenger car, next to to a tow truck.” (1 page)