A 57-year-old UFC Hall of Famer who faces a felony charge of OWI has pleaded not guilty and is set to appear in court, according to court documents.

Pat Miletich of Bettendorf, known as “The Croatian Sensation” and who also has been a sports commentator, faces a third operating-while-under-the-influence charge, court records say. He has waived his right to a speedy trial.

He is set for a review hearing Dec. 19 in Scott County Court, according to court records. The hearing is to review the status of the case. “At the Status Conference, the parties to this
case shall advise the Court if the matter will be resolved by entry of a plea of guilty or be set for trial,” court records show.

The incident Sept. 14

Arrest affidavits say a pedestrian called dispatchers to say a gray pickup truck traveled the wrong way on Devils Glen Road in the caller’s lane of travel. Police allege the truck drove over a grass embankment and parked at the Shell station, 3718 State St., Bettendorf.

Both the caller and Miletich were at the Shell station when officers arrived, arrest affidavits say. The caller confirmed the RAM 1500 was the truck that the caller saw.

“I observed the defendant asleep in the drivers’ seat of the above mentioned RAM 1500 while it was running,” an officer writes in the arrest affidavits. “The defendant left the vehicle in drive and had to be reminded several times to place the vehicle in park mode after officers had to wake him up.”

Miletich told police he was drinking alcohol while watching DekHockey at Crow Creek Park, police allege. Police allege Miletich said he was in North Dakota, then said he drove back from North Dakota two days ago. He admitted to drinking wine, police allege in affidavits.

Miletich had “bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech, unsteady balance, and an odor of ingested alcohol,” police allege, adding he refused all field sobriety testing prior to refusing a preliminary breath test.

Officers saw tire tracks in the grass along the sidewalk on the west side of Devils Glen Road consistent with the caller’s observations. Affidavits say, “A rut was found in an area covered with gravel along the sidewalk in line with the tire tracks and gravel was scattered on the concrete nearby.”

In affidavits, police allege there was gravel dust covering the rear passenger side tire of (Miletich’s) truck that was consistent with the gravel/dust in the rut. Officers also saw fresh damage to vegetation growing on a retaining wall on the north side of the Shell parking lot where it appeared something had struck the wall. Police allege there was damage and vegetation on the front of the RAM 1500 that Miletich had been driving consistent with the vegetation on the retaining wall, affidavits show.

“The defendant’s driving behavior is captured on traffic cameras at Devils Glen Road/State Street, and consistent with the complaint,” police allege in affidavits.

The charge of a third OWI is a Class D felony, which is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine.