Transient awaiting trial accused of having alcohol in county jail

Hunter
08/07/20

An area transient sitting in the Johnson County Jail awaiting trial on a litany of charges is now accused of having alcohol in his cell.

Deputies were conducting a search of C-block at the jail at 9pm Thursday, and checked Cell 4 on the block, solely occupied by 30-year-old Alexander Torres. 5 shampoo bottles were allegedly found in the cell that had the odor of alcohol. A PBT test on the bottles confirmed alcohol content.

As alcohol is considered contraband at the county jail, Torres was charged with possession of the alcohol, a Class D felony that would add up to five years to his potential sentence.

Torres has been charged with several crimes over recent months; the most recent was the alleged break-in of a police storage area on the lower level of the Harrison Street parking ramp in Iowa City on May 18th. He is accused of taking several items, including backpacks and a $350 motorized bicycle.

The most serious charges facing Torres involve the trashing of vacant homes. He’s accused of squatting at residences in the 800 block of North Dodge, the 1000 block of Summit Street, and the 800 block of Caroline Avenue in Iowa City, as well as an apartment in Coralville, causing damage at each site.

Additionally, Torres has been accused of trying to break into the Old Capitol in October, stealing items from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Medical Museum in February, and later that month allegedly grabbing women’s buttocks outside the Robert A Lee Rec Center and fighting with police over a stick he claimed was his “wand.”

A case management conference on open charges is scheduled for August 17th and a jury trial for September 15th. With the contraband charge, Torres faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all counts.