Hunter
03/21/25
A Coralville man was arrested after allegedly nearly hitting a police officer as he tried to flee a traffic stop.
21-year-old Jeorome Smith of 10th Street was allegedly observed traveling northbound on 1st Avenue in Iowa City just after 5:30 pm March 12th with illegal tint on the driver’s and passenger’s front windows. A traffic stop was initiated, and Smith reportedly came to a stop on the 2100 block of ACT Circle.
Upon contact, Smith provided the officer with his ID and allegedly had the odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. The officer asked Smith to step out of his vehicle, but he instead put the car in drive and headed northbound on ACT Circle, which comes to a dead end.
The officer set up stop sticks for when Smith turned around, but he swerved to avoid the sticks and nearly hit another officer on scene, who had to step out of the way to avoid being injured.
A warrant for Smith’s arrest was issued the day after the incident; he was arrested Tuesday. He’s been charged with Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations with the use or display of a weapon, and Interference with Official Acts with the use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted on both counts, Smith could be sentenced to up to ten years in prison.
He was released on his own recognizance pending arraignment.