Lang
11/22/21
Iowa City Police have arrested a man wanted for absconding from Hope House.
24-year-old Monte Harris Jr. of Douglass Street was arrested just after midnight Sunday for Operating While Intoxicated after a traffic stop near the corner of Highway 6 and Boyrum Street. He also allegedly gave officers a fake name and date of birth, leading to an additional charge of Providing False Identity Information. If convicted on both charges, Harris faces a maximum of 13 months in jail.
Harris had active warrants for his arrest after he absconded from Hope House in Coralville on October 24th. Arrest records indicate Harris signed out of the Holiday Road facility the previous morning to go to work at Jimmy John’s on North Dodge Street. Just after 8pm that night he allegedly called Hope House staff to say he was changing employment passes and had to work at Jimmy John’s East Washington Street location, with an expected return time of midnight. Harris had not returned by 2am, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Absence From Custody is a Serious Misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of one year in jail.
Online records show Harris has a history of forgery and drug convictions.
Harris is also a registered sex offender. By absconding, police say he violated terms of the Iowa sex offender registry. The violation would be Harris’s second such offense, and if convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.