Hunter
03/11/22
A Coralville man who was given a deferred sentence of several charges stemming amidst rioting in 2020 was charged Thursday with Harassment after allegedly threatening the life of a woman.
Police were dispatched to the 400 block of 4th Avenue around 11:20 am on reports of a fight. The woman on scene accused 29-year-old Devonte Flowers of threatening to, quote, “drag her up and down and do her like the child’s daddy.” The woman added that the child’s father is dead, and believed Flowers was threatening to assault or kill her.
Flowers was taken into custody and charged with 1st degree Harassment, an aggravated misdemeanor. A no-contact order was requested by the victim.
Flowers was arrested for his alleged participation in rioting on June 1st 2020. Police say that just before 1:30am, Flowers and several other suspects wearing masks entered Smokin’ Joe’s on The Coralville Strip by breaking a window with a large rock. The group then looted the store, taking 56 items totaling nearly $1600 in value, including lottery tickets and liquor. The entire incident was caught on surveillance video. Surveillance video also showed Flowers throwing a rock through a window at Tires Plus on 10th Street the same night.
The two incidents occurred while a large group of people gathered outside Coral Ridge Mall with the intention of breaking into the facility. The group was responding to a social media post encouraging people to loot the mall under the guise of protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police.
Flowers was developed as a suspect when he tried exchanging the winning, stolen tickets at an Iowa City Kum & Go on June 10th. Police say he stole 28 tickets totaling $110 in value.
Flowers was arrested the next day at his residence in the Town and Campus Apartments on Arthur Street.
In January 2021, Flowers was given credit for ten days behind bars after pleading guilty to a 4th Degree Criminal Mischief charge. He was given a deferred judgement on charges of Theft of Lottery Tickets and 3rd Degree Burglary. As part of a plea deal, charges of 2nd Degree Theft, 5th Degree Theft, 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief, 3rd Degree Criminal Mischief, and Trespassing Causing Damage Greater Than $300 were dropped.