Lang
10/24/21
A suspect in a Ped Mall sexual assault case has been given a deferred judgment.
Online court records show 26-year-old William Pearson of Oakland Road Northeast in Cedar Rapids was given the judgement as part of a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month.
The victim reported being attacked by Pearson just after 12:30am on November 17th, 2018 on the Linn Street side of the Ped Mall. She said she and Pearson had met at The Fieldhouse bar, then went outside and began kissing when Pearson committed sex acts against her will. When she tried to stop him, he allegedly began strangling her, making her lose consciousness. The woman reported 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 assault.
In interviews with police, Pearson and one of his friends both admitted to being at The Union. 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 assault.
Pearson admitted to kissing a girl in the alley, but denied the assault. In a deal with prosecutors, a 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse charge was dropped, and he was given a deferred judgment on a Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury charge. If convicted on both charges, he would have faced a maximum of 30 years in prison.
