Hunter
08/25/21
An Iowa City man who was reportedly caught on surveillance video ripping up the outdoor planter of a downtown restaurant has been taken into custody.
Police say the owner of Get Fresh Café contacted police on August 6th and found that the plants had been ripped out of the outdoor planter overnight. A check of her security footage allegedly found 26-year old Dequan Miles of South Dodge Street pulling the plants out at around 1 am. Miles appeared to get tired and removed his jacket before pulling more plants.
The woman recognized Miles from a similar incident a few months ago and told police that she sees him very often downtown. She described Miles to police, who showed her a picture of him. She positively identified him as the person on the video.
The owner sent still photos from the security video to officers, who reportedly recognized Miles.
A warrant was issued for his arrest; he was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon. He’s been charged with 4th degree Criminal Mischief, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a jail term of up to one year if convicted.
On May 17thof this year, Miles was charged with 3rd degree Harassment, 3rd degree Theft, and 5th degree Criminal Mischief after allegedly becoming annoyed with a woman painting a Ped Mall bench who wouldn’t respond to his advances. When the woman became uncomfortable and ducked into the Library, Miles reportedly painted over her artwork. He faced up to 26 months for that incident, but ended up having the Harassment and theft charges dismissed. He pleaded guilty to criminal mischief and was fined $105.
A further check of court records shows many misdemeanor charges against Miles over the past several years.