Hunter
11/07/25
An Iowa City man faces two Theft charges after separate incidents at the Iowa City Walmart.
According to police, 48-year-old Jonathan Merritt of East Bloomington Street was at the Highway 1 location October 23rd at 5:10pm when he was reportedly seen on camera and by witnesses placing several unpurchased items into his backpack and walking into the outdoor department of the store. He then allegedly pushed the bag through the gate to the outside of the store. A second unnamed subject reportedly retrieved the bag and the pair left the property together.
In that incident, the store reported a loss of over $425.
Then on November 4th, Merritt allegedly returned at approximately 6:10pm and tried the same thing, only this time he was caught by officers in the act.
18 items were recovered from his backpack, with a retail value of nearly $240.
Merritt was charged one count each of 4th and 5th degree Theft. If convicted on both counts, he could be sentenced to up to 13 months in jail.