Georgia man dead following fight in southeast Cedar Rapids

Court records reveal a history of violence for the Cedar Rapids man who is accused in the death of a Georgia man on Wednesday.

Police arrested Henry Thomas Lee Rogers, 28, of 2725 O Ave. NW, after a brawl erupted on the sidewalk in front of 370 15th St. SE around 11 p.m. Tuesday. He is charged with Involuntary Manslaughter.

The first officers on the scene found Dustin Davis, 35, unconscious between the sidewalk and the street, Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said. Witnesses told police Rogers punched Davis in the head, causing Davis to fall and hit his head, according to a criminal complaint.

Davis was transported to Mercy Medical Center and then transferred to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“The victim suffered a serious brain injury as a result and is in critical condition,” according to the complaint.

A second man, Thomas Perez, 23, of Cedar Rapids, was arrested for disorderly conduct. Police said Perez, who lives at the house where the fight started, was pushing others during the fight.

Both Rogers and Perez were taken to the Linn County Jail. A judge set Rogers' cash-only bond at $10,000.

Rogers has been convicted of assault at least seven other times since 2002, according to court documents. In 2004, he was charged with attempted murder when police accused him of trying to stab a man to death outside of a Hy-Vee store on Johnson Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids.

He was convicted a lesser charge, carrying a weapon, and served 5 1/2 months in prison, according to Fred Scaletta, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.

In May of 2009, police arrested him for allegedly slicing another man in the abdomen with a knife. He pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and spent 30 days in jail.

Last August, police arrested him for punching Sherry McDonald in the face numerous times, causing black eyes and a broken nose. Liz Cavin told The Gazette on Wednesday that Rogers was actually going after her that night, and McDonald stepped in the way.

Cavin said she has known Rogers since he was a young boy.

“He was a nice kid,” Cavin said. “He grew up with my kids. But he just turned when he got older.”

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