Lang
10-18-19
An Iowa City man shot by police last spring has entered a not guilty plea to charges relating to his alleged crime spree.
35-year-old Michael Cintron-Caceres entered the plea to charges of 1st Degree Criminal Mischief, Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations Using or Displaying a Weapon and Interference with Official Acts While Using or Displaying a Weapon on Friday. A trial date has not yet been set.
Cintron-Caceres fled from ICPD officers who were investigating two burglaries at Pizza Hut on Keokuk Street and The Second Act on Olympic Court around 2:30am on May 9th. Iowa City Police say Cintron-Caceres jumped two fences to enter a secured lot of Big Ten Rentals on Boyrum Street, where he hid in a truck. When found, Cintron-Caceres allegedly started the truck and used it to smash into vehicles and equipment in the lot. ICPD officers’ verbal commands, deployment of the police canine and shooting a Taser were ineffective in getting Cintron-Caceres to stop. An ICPD officer fired his weapon at Cintron-Caceres, but he continued to ram the truck. Only after a second officer shot at Cintron-Caceres did he halt his action. Two of the officers’ bullets struck Cintron-Caceres, hitting his right and left shoulders.
The two officers, Alex Stricker and Travis Neeld, have since been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shooting.
Cintron-Caceres is already facing trial in two other cases. On April 30th, he’s accused of threatening a cashier at Romantix and forcing the register open, getting away with $100 cash.
The next day, Cintron-Caceres allegedly wrote a $150 check on a checkbook that wasn’t his, forging the owner’s name and cashing it.
On May 7th, Cintron Caceres is accused of forcing a cash register open at the Suburban BP Amoco on Keokuk Street, taking about $280 from that location.