Hunter
04/14/22
An Iowa City man who had been wanted on a warrant since February on incidents from 2020 was arrested Wednesday.
According to the criminal complaint, 28-year-old Charles Tate of Scott Park Drive was stopped on Highland Avenue December 20th, 2020 because the officers knew him to be wanted on several drug and weapons charges. Tate was taken into custody, and under Miranda, allegedly admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle. A K9 was able to positively identify the odor of narcotics in the vehicle. A probable cause search turned up a glass jar with 7 baggies of marijuana and one much larger bag.
The officer’s arrest report says that the way the marijuana was packaged was indicative of drug dealing. Nearly 50 grams of the drug were seized. Tate also reportedly had nearly $950 in cash on him, which the officer said was indicative of selling narcotics.
A phone was found in the vehicle and seized. A search warrant was obtained and a check allegedly discovered many messages and chat threads showing Tate was buying and selling marijuana and other drugs between February and December 2020. Photos and videos showing large amounts of marijuana were also reportedly found on the phone.
One of the warrants against Tate was for an assault with a dangerous weapon from February 2020 that ended up with him eventually spending 7 days in jail and fined $625.
Earlier in December 2020, Tate was charged with two Controlled Substance violations, two drug tax stamp violations, child endangerment, and trafficking in stolen weapons. All but the weapons charge were dismissed in a plea deal reached in February 2021; Tate was given a deferred sentence on the remaining count.
A warrant for Tate’s arrest for the December 20th 2020 incident was granted this past February 11th; he was booked at the Johnson County Jail early Wednesday. Tate faces a Class D Controlled Substance Violation and could be sentenced to up to five years in prison if convicted.