Lang
12/29/21
Iowa City Police say an accused domestic abuser recorded the assault on his own phone and turned it over to investigators.
According to arrest records, 48-year-old Sergio Castro of Elgin, Illinois recorded an incident between him and the alleged victim just before 1:45 Wednesday morning. The woman reported that Castro had struck her around the head and neck inside a hotel room at Hyatt Place on East Court Street.
Castro allegedly provided cellphone video of the incident showing the woman screaming while lying on a mattress. She then moves out of frame, and her screams can be heard being muffled. A short time later she indicates Castro had been choking her.
Castro was booked into the Johnson County Jail just after 3am Wednesday and charged with Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Airflow and Domestic Abuse Assault. If convicted on both charges, he faces a maximum of 25 months in jail.
Police say Castro has a pending domestic abuse case involving the same victim in Elgin, Illinois from 2020.