Hunter
11/19/21
Allegedly offering cocaine to bar patrons has led to the arrest of an Iowa City man.
Police were called to DC’s bar just after 1 am Thursday on reports of a man harassing the staff. Upon arrival, a bar staffer described the man, later identified as 33-year-old Johnnie Barnes of Broadway Street. When the officer attempted to make contact with him, Barnes reportedly stopped behind the bar and discarded something on the ground.
Barnes allegedly had bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, unsteady balance, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. He reportedly attempted to flee the scene, but was caught by officers after a brief foot chase.
An officer returned to the bar and recovered the discarded item, which turned out to be a Nike sock containing three individually packaged bundles of cocaine. The bar manager at DC’s contacted the officer and advised that he had video of Barnes discarding the item, and bar staff said Barnes repeatedly approached various bar patrons and offered to provide them with cocaine.
Barnes was taken into custody. He faces a controlled substance violation, along with charges of Public Intoxication and Interference with Official Acts. If convicted, he faces a total sentence of over ten years in prison.