Thinking of Flipping Police Officer 'The Bird'? A West Des Moines Man Probably Has Some Advice

The following item from the West Des Moines police blotter likely has a 28-year-old man who said he's never been in any legal trouble thinking what he might do differently if given a do-over.

Given a second chance, Scott Michael Stevenson of West Des Moines might have stopped himself from flipping an internationally recognized hand gesture of obscenity at a police officer who declined to play taxi driver early Sunday morning.

West Des Moines Police Officer Curtis Russell was patrolling in the area of 560 S. Prairie View Drive about 12:20 a.m. Sunday when Stevenson approached the officer and asked for a ride, saying he didn’t want to walk home.

Russell declined, but gave Stevenson the opportunity to walk home and avoid charges, according to the police report.

“Stevenson walked away,” the officer wrote, “but came back 30 seconds later. As (he) was walking away, he held up the middle finger behind his head in plain view of my patrol car.”

So Russell arrested him, charging him with public intoxication. Stevenson declined a sobriety test, but Russell noted in his report he was “highly intoxicated,” had impaired balance and was slurring his words when he asked for the ride home.