Hunter
12/02/21
A Burlington man who allegedly was caught publicly urinating in downtown Iowa City faces more serious charges after being found with Oxycodone.
Police came upon 24-year-old Yovany Ortiz Rodriguez just before 2 am Thursday in the 10 block of South Linn Street, urinating in an alley. He was reportedly observed with bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, unsteady balance, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. Ortiz Rodriguez allegedly provided police with an identification that clearly was not his, and refused to provide his true identity so he could be cited for public urination.
When the officer tried to arrest Ortiz Rodriguez, he reportedly attempted to flee. He had to be taken to the ground by police, and sprayed with a chemical irritant. Two officers say they sustained minor injuries to their hands.
During a search incident to arrest, Ortiz Rodriguez allegedly was found with a sandwich bag containing 75 blue pills identified as Oxycodone Hydrochloride. A large amount of US currency in denominations commonly associated with drug sales and several cell phones were also discovered.
After Ortiz Rodriguez was taken into custody, a law enforcement agency from another county was contacted to verify his identity.
Before he was booked into jail, the man reportedly attempted to pick the lock of the handcuffs he was wearing, damaging the locking mechanism and rendering them permanently useless.
Ortiz Rodriguez faces a number of charges. They include a Class C Controlled Substance Violation, Failure to Affix a Drug Tax Stamp, Public Intoxication, Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations, Providing False ID information, Interference with Official Acts causing Bodily Injury, Criminal Mischief, and Harassment of a Public Official. If convicted on all counts, Ortiz Rodriguez could be sentenced to over 17 years in prison.