Hunter
02/25/22
An Iowa City man who was wanted after skipping his trial for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct charges was arrested early Friday after causing a disturbance at a downtown bar.
According to the criminal complaint, 25-year-old Gach Tot of Highway 1 West was called in by bar staff just before 1 am for causing fights and throwing food. When officers arrived, Tot was being physically restrained by employees.
Once he was taken outside, Tot allegedly continued to escalate and was very erratic. He reportedly had bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, and had the odor of ingested alcohol. Police say Tot refused to sit in the squad car and had to be forced inside by Officers. A post-arrest PBT showed his blood-alcohol level at .220 percent.
Because of his fighting with officers, they were unable to do a complete search of his person. Tot was allegedly asked if he had any contraband on him, and he reportedly said no. However, deputies at the Johnson County Jail located about a gram of marijuana on him during their search.
A check of court records showed a warrant out on Tot for failing to appear for trial on Disorderly Conduct and Intoxication charges from a September 18th incident at the Sports Column around 2 am. Witnesses reported that Tot was fighting with two other subjects, and he allegedly remained agitated and belligerent toward police when they arrived. A post arrest PBT in that case showed his BAC at .190 percent. He failed to appear at his November 3rd trial.
Tot faces Public Intoxication, Interference with Official Acts and Possession of Contraband in a Correctional Institution from Friday’s incident. Combined with the charges from September, he could be sentenced to up to five years and four months in prison.