Second man arrested in Iowa City firearms investigation

IOWA CITY - A second man has been arrested in connection with a federal firearms case that followed a shooting in Iowa City.

According to federal court records, Casey J. Lindus, 29, of Iowa City, was arrested this week on one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Lindus has not been formally indicted and a detention hearing is scheduled for Friday.

According to a six-page criminal complaint filed March 27 by an Iowa City police investigator, Lindus' arrest is a result of the investigation into Curtis Bell and his involvement in a shooting incident on Feb. 25. Bell was indicted in federal court earlier this month on one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

The federal complaint alleges Lindus, who was convicted of a controlled substance violation in 2008 and is a registered sex offender, was in possession of an AR-15 rifle discovered during the Bell investigation.

According to police and court documents, Iowa City police were called to the area of Hollywood Boulevard and Taylor Drive around 9 p.m. Feb. 25 for a report of shots fired. Police found a vehicle that had been hit by multiple bullets and Bell was identified as a suspect in the shooting through witness statements and CrimeStoppers tips.

Bell went to police on Feb. 28 and told them he was involved in a 'dispute” with another man, pulled a revolver and shot six times at the other man, records state. Bell later led police to an Iowa City apartment where the revolver and ammunition were recovered.

The latest criminal complaint reveals that police also found a SIG Sauer 5.56 caliber AR-15 rifle wrapped in a man's leather coat in a closet in the apartment. Bell told police in a subsequent interview he knew 'something” wrapped in a coat would be found in addition to the revolver, but refused to discuss it with police, according to records.

Authorities spoke with Bell's girlfriend - who was renting the apartment where the guns were found - about the AR-15 and she specifically mentioned Lindus, police said.

Reviewing surveillance footage of the apartment, investigators were able to view an interaction on Feb. 26 between Bell and someone driving a black Honda Accord. The complaint states Bell is shown on video approaching the Honda wearing a black leather coat, opening the passenger side door and concealing something under the jacket.

'The manner in which he is holding the jacket is consistent with attempting to conceal an item which is relatively long and thin,” the complaint states. 'It is consistent with attempting to conceal a rifle the size and shape of the AR-15 rifle” police found.

Investigators spoke with Lindus' girlfriend, who said she owns a black Honda Accord which Lindus 'regularly” drives, the complaint stated. Police also uncovered call logs that show a conversation between Bell and Lindus' phones on Feb. 26.

According to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry, Lindus was convicted of criminal sex abuse involving a girl age 13 or younger in Illinois in 2010. He has since been convicted multiple times of failure to comply with the sex offender registry, according to the federal complaint.

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com