Hunter
05/09/22
An Iowa City man who had vehicle theft charges from March dismissed has been arrested for the same offense again.
Police observed 34-year-old Darryl Minniefield operating a 2008 Chevy Uplander around 1:45 am Thursday, and knew from a previous case that he did not have permission to drive the vehicle. Additionally, they were aware that the owner had reported the vehicle as stolen.
Minniefield allegedly told officers that he got the vehicle from the owner a short time before he was stopped. He also reportedly said that he was friends with the owner, but couldn’t remember his name.
A passenger in the vehicle told officers that Minniefield had picked them up in the same vehicle the day before.
A check of Minniefield’s driving record showed 14 withdrawals in effect and his status as barred until late April 2025.
Minniefield was charged with 2nd degree Theft and Driving While Barred. He faces a possible prison sentence of up to seven years if convicted.
It also showed that he had a warrant for violating his pre-trial release on Burglary, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, and 2nd degree Criminal Mischief charges from November and December 2021. In April, Minniefield was charged with unauthorized use of a credit card after allegedly taking a credit card from the locker room of the Rec Center and later using it at the Iowa City Walmart.
If convicted on the 2021 charges and the April incident, Minniefield faces an additional 17-year sentence. A jury trial on the 2021 charges is due to start July 12th.
