Hunter
05/24/24
An Iowa City man faces a jail sentence of over two years after an alleged domestic assault.
At around 1:45am May 19th, officers were called to the 300 block of Church Street on reports of a fight. The caller accused 35-year-old Clifford Taylor of assaulting her. The woman has been in an intimate relationship with Taylor on and off for the past three years and lives with him. She also said that Taylor was trying to drive away from the scene despite being intoxicated.
When officers arrived, the woman told them that she was afraid of his escalated behavior. She reportedly had bruises and scratches on both side of her face.
Taylor was observed leaving on foot and allegedly showed signs of intoxication including bloodshot watery eyes, impaired speech, unsteady balance, and the odor of ingested alcohol.
When confronted, Taylor allegedly said he didn’t want to talk about the situation. He did admit to drinking beforehand and driving to the scene of the incident. The vehicle was still warm to the touch, according to police.
After showing measurable impairment on field tests, he provided a PBT showing his breath alcohol level at .144 percent.
Taylor was arrested and charged with OWI 1st offense, Domestic Abuse Assault causing Injury, and Public Intoxication. A no-contact order was issued to Taylor later that day during his initial appearance.
Taylor then proceeded to break the order by calling the woman’s phone 8 times. He was able to get through twice and allegedly tried to convince her to drop the no-contact order and bond him out.
Taylor could be sentenced to up to 25 months in jail if convicted on all counts. He also faces contempt charges for violating the no-contact order.