Hunter
12/26/19
A man who tried to steal Christmas items from an Iowa City homeless shelter was caught by staff and arrested.
According to police, 55-year-old Curtis Seals of Taylor Drive was caught by a member of the Shelter House staff Wednesday at approximately 5:12pm, stealing Christmas items from behind the staff desk. Dispatch reported that they could hear Seals yelling at the reporting party when she made the call to 911, and he allegedly told the woman that he would kill her.
The value of the items was just under $200.
Upon questioning, Seals allegedly admitted that he stole the items. He also made several threats about the woman who caught him while in custody, allegedly adding that she would disappear. He has previous theft convictions, with two in 2017 and one in February of this year.
Seals was taken into custody and charged with 3rd degree Theft, an aggravated misdemeanor, and first-degree Harassment, also an aggravated misdemeanor. If convicted on both counts, Seals could be sentenced to a prison sentence of up to four years.
