Lang
2/10/25
Iowa City Police say an assault suspect was so intoxicated he thought someone else’s car was his and that they had stolen it.
36-year-old Robert Gatewood of 5th Street in Coralville was booked into the Johnson County Jail just before 4:30 Sunday morning. Iowa City Police say just after 3:30 a.m. Gatewood was a passenger in a car when he grabbed the keys out of the ignition as the vehicle was entering the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Fairmeadows Boulevard. Gatewood then reportedly got out of the vehicle.
The driver told police she exited her car to get her keys back, but Gatewood pushed her to the ground and punched her in the face. He also allegedly threatened to kill her. The woman suffered superficial scratches on her hand from the fall.
Police say Gatewood was so drunk he believed the car was his, and that the woman had stolen it. He reportedly showed signs of intoxication and refused breath testing.
Gatewood is charged with Assault Causing Bodily Injury, 1st Degree Harassment, and Public Intoxication. If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum of over three years in jail.