Hunter
11/28/20
An alleged domestic assault was one of several bad decisions made by a Muscatine man early Friday morning, and he now possibly faces decades in prison.
According to the arrest reports, the incident started in the Riverside Casino parking lot at about 2am between 42-year-old Francisco Nunez of New Hampshire Street and his partner of around 13 years. The two were inside the woman’s vehicle when Nunez reportedly started striking her. She suffered a cut between her fingers as a result of the altercation.
The woman got out of the car and tried to open the passenger door to get Nunez out of the vehicle, but he is accused of sliding over to the driver’s side and taking off, despite being legally barred from driving. He reportedly drove the vehicle to the Regency Trailer Park, where he got into his van and headed south on Oakcrest Hill road. An officer on the road saw Nunez drive by him and speed away. The officer lost sight of the van, but Nunez got it stuck in a yard, where the homeowners called police. Nunez took off on foot, and a homeowner down the street called police when Nunez started knocking on their door. The deputy located Nunez there and he was taken into custody.
Nunez reportedly gave a false name to the deputy, and allegedly had a .22 round and keys to the van inside his pocket. Another deputy on scene reportedly could see multiple firearms and a drug pipe inside the abandoned van.
As Nunez was being transported to jail, he’s accused of banging his head on the squad car door and successfully kicking out the passenger side rear window. He slid through the hole and took off running yet again.
The deputy allegedly found Nunez hiding in a nearby field. When he grabbed Nunez, he once again tried to run but was taken to the ground. He reportedly smelled strongly of ingested alcohol. Another deputy transported Nunez to the Johnson County Jail.
A search warrant was executed shortly afterwards on the van, and officers found a black bag that held several small plastic baggies containing a white substance that field-tested positive for meth.
Nunez has been charged with Domestic Abuse Assault; Domestic Abuse Assault 3rd or Subsequent Offense; Operating a Vehicle without Consent; Driving while Barred as a Habitual Offender; Criminal Mischief, 3rd and 4th degree; Providing False ID Information; Interference with Official Acts; Public Intoxication; Escape as a Felon; Dominion or Control of Firearms as both a Domestic Abuse offender and as a Felon; Carrying Weapons, and Possession of Methamphetamine. If convicted on all charges, Nunez could be sentenced to over 30 years in prison.
A no-contact order was requested between Nunez and his live-in girlfriend.