Lang
12/3/19
A rural Johnson County woman faces charges that she tried to get an alleged sexual assault victim to drop the charges against the man she accused of the crime.
According to arrest records, 49-year-old Nina Furlong of Sand Road texted the alleged victim just after 10:30am on November 23rd. Furlong allegedly encouraged her to “undo the lies” and “do the right thing”. Police say Furlong went on to say she had been in contact with the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Nikolas Petersen of 170th Street near Riverside, and that she believed he was a good person. Furlong then allegedly ended the text conversation by calling the alleged victim “a devil.”
Furlong is charged with 3rd Degree Harassment, a Simple Misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail.
Iowa City Police say the alleged victim had a no-contact order against Petersen through November of 2020. The order came after Petersen allegedly entered the woman’s home on Mission Point Road without permission last August, beat her and endangered her now 11-month-old child.
According to arrest records, Petersen entered the woman’s residence without permission again just after 3:30 the morning of November 16th, beat her and sexually assaulted her. Police say Petersen also held a knife to the woman’s throat and threatened to kill her. He allegedly grabbed the woman’s child while still holding the knife.
The woman was treated for her injuries at a local hospital.
Petersen is charged with 1st Degree Burglary, 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Airflow, Child Endangerment and a No Contact Order Violation. If convicted on all charges, he faces a maximum of 57 years in prison. He faces a maximum of over 12 years in prison if convicted for the previous incident. His arraignment is set for Friday.