Iowa City man accused of continually using children to steal from area establishments

Hunter
02/19/24

An Iowa City man who has already been convicted of using his children to help steal from area stores and restaurants has been arrested for the same offense again.

30-year-old Terron Petersen and his 11-year-old son allegedly worked together to steal over $500 in merchandise from the Iowa City Walmart on Saturday afternoon.  They left the store without attempting to pay for the goods, and were taken into custody.

Police say Petersen and his children have had multiple encounters with other Iowa City businesses where they have been trespassed or observed stealing.

Petersen has at least four theft convictions on his record, the most recent being November 29th and January 16th. He was given credit for one day time served in both cases, and was fined $105 for the January 16th incident. Additionally, he faces 3rd degree theft charges from January 24th, and he had a warrant for failing to appear at his arraignment on Burglary and Theft charges from an incident on December 11th.

Other charges of theft and contributing to the delinquency of a minor are pending.

For Saturday’s incident, Petersen could be sentenced to up to 25 months in jail if convicted on 3rd degree Theft, Trespass, and Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor charges.