Lang
1/5/24
An armed kidnapping suspect who allegedly led University of Iowa Police on a chase through Iowa City earlier this year has been given a 15-year prison sentence.
As part of a plea deal, 38-year-old Christopher Morgan pleaded guilty to charges of Dominion or Control of a Firearm by a Domestic Abuser and Eluding. Charges of 1st Degree Kidnapping, 1st Degree Harassment, Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury, Domestic Abuse Assault – 3rd or Subsequent Offense, Interference With Official Acts Involving a Firearm, and Driving While Suspended were dropped.
Arrest records indicate Morgan, who was living with the alleged victim in her 2015 Jeep Renegade near Walcott at the time of the incident, dropped the woman off at the UI Hospitals and Clinics just after 3:30 on the afternoon of October 3rd after assaulting her with a pistol and threatening to kill her.
UI Police initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Byington Road. At that point, the vehicle fled and a pursuit ensued.
Police say as the Jeep was travelling along Riverside Drive and Iowa Avenue, it left the roadway and traveled on a sidewalk at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, nearly hitting multiple pedestrians. It also ran red lights and drove against oncoming traffic, and Morgan threw a gun out of the vehicle during the pursuit.
Morgan abandoned his vehicle near the intersection of Tanglewood Street and Ventura Avenue, near Dubuque Street and Interstate 80, and fled on foot. He was taken into custody north of I-80, just south of Kyle Drive NE.
If convicted on the original charges, Morgan would have faced a maximum of 27 years in prison.