Convicted felon accused of brandishing firearm on multiple occasions in Iowa City

Lang
1/4/25

A convicted felon is accused of brandishing a firearm on multiple recent occasions in Iowa City.

27-year-old Davonte Tharpe of Ridge Street was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 12:15 Thursday afternoon. Iowa City Police say witnesses report seeing Tharpe holding a silver revolver during different incidents on October 16th, October 19th, and November 13th. The last case involved Tharpe allegedly shooting a hole in the side of a residence.

Tharpe has five previous felony convictions…three in Johnson County, two from Minnesota. One felony conviction alone would make him ineligible to possess a firearm.
Police executed a warrant on Tharpe’s cellphone, which contained several messages from people saying he had threatened them with a gun. Other messages from Tharpe indicated that he was in possession of a gun, including one in which he reportedly asks for more bullets.

Tharpe, who is already on probation for a weapons conviction, is now charged with Dominion or Control of a Firearm as a Felon. If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison.