Hunter
07/21/25
A North Liberty man wanted for failing to appear at a court date on a driving while barred charge in 2018 was arrested early Sunday after an equipment violation allegedly found him in possession of marijuana.
32-year-old Eugene Pate of Sugar Creek Lane was a passenger in a vehicle stopped on the 2500 block of Friendship Street in Iowa City at 3:47am for a non-functioning middle break light. However, when asked to identify himself, he gave a false name. When the officer ran it through the Iowa system it wouldn’t come up, and Pate then allegedly said it should be through Illinois. When that also led to a dead end, Pate was arrested and then reportedly provided his actual name.
A warrant for Pate’s arrest was discovered when his record was run. A search incident to his arrest reportedly turned up a small bag of marijuana in his pocket.
Pate was charged with Marijuana possession and providing false ID information. He could be sentenced to up to 13 months in jail if convicted. The Driving while Barred charge is an aggravated misdemeanor punishable by an additional two years in jail.
The driver, 29-year-old Matthew Sanders of 2nd Street in Coralville, was charged with marijuana possession after two full THC vape pens were reportedly found in the driver’s door. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.