Hunter
05/22/23
An Iowa City man who reportedly brought no money with him when meeting up for a drug transaction ended up getting arrested after allegedly snatching the product from the deliverer.
Police say the incident occurred last week at the Waterfront HyVee. 31-year-old Deandre Irby of Southgate Avenue was observed by Iowa City Police taking a bag of marijuana from another subject in the parking lot just before 6:30pm Wednesday. Irby was detained, and gave the bag to the officer.
Irby reportedly told the seller that he had no money to pay for the drugs. The seller, identified as 38-year-old Michael Mastropietro of Burlington, told police that he was giving the drugs to him for free because they were family.
A warrant for Irby’s arrest was issued two days later, and he was taken into custody Saturday afternoon. He was charged with 2nd offense Marijuana possession, a serious misdemeanor punishable by a jail sentence of up to a year if convicted.
Mastropietro had been wanted for a disorderly conduct charge after physically striking another patient while he was in the psychiatric unit at the UI Hospitals and Clinics on April 5th. He was charged for that offense, as well as a controlled substance violation. He could be sentenced to up to 25 months if convicted on both counts.