CR man accused of strangling, sexually assaulting woman on Ped Mall
Lang
5/19/19
Iowa City Police have arrested a Cedar Rapids man they say strangled and sexually assaulted a woman on the Ped Mall.
23-year-old William Pearson of Oakland Road Northeast was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 4am Saturday.
Arrest records indicate officers were called to the Ped Mall for a man strangling a woman just after 12:30am on November 17th. The caller who reported the incident chased the male, who fled on Linn Street and got away. When the caller went back to check on the woman, she was gone.
Pearson, who matched the description of the assailant, was located by officers about a block away from the alleged attack. But he was released as police could not find the victim.
Just after 6:30 that morning the victim called to report the assault. She said she and Pearson had met at The Fieldhouse bar. They went outside and began kissing when Pearson put his hand down her pants and committed sex acts against her will. When she tried to stop him he allegedly began strangling her, making her lose consciousness. She suffered pain, bruising, redness and burst blood vessels in her eyes, neck and face.
When the woman woke up she joined back up with her friends at The Union Bar, where she saw Pearson about 20 minutes after the alleged assault.
In interviews with police Pearson and one of his friends both admitted to being at The Union following Pearson’s encounter with officers. The friend also admitted that Pearson had met a girl at The Fieldhouse and left.
Surveillance recordings show Pearson and the woman leaving The Fieldhouse and going into an alley. They also show Pearson fleeing the area of the alleged assault to where he first met officers.
Pearson admitted to kissing a girl in the alley, but denied the assault. He’s charged with 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse and Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.
