Muscatine man face robbery charge after bar assault

IOWA CITY - A Muscatine man is accused of robbing another man after socializing with him in a downtown bar.

According to an Iowa City police criminal complaint, an officer was called to Mercy Hospital on Aug. 28 for a report of an assault. Police said the victim had suffered 'noticeable injuries” to his face.

The victim reported that he had been drinking with three men with Gabe's bar and was jumped by two of the men after he went to use the restroom. The two men stole roughly $400 cash and a cellphone from the victim.

Through the victim's descriptions of his assailants and surveillance video, officers were able to identify the men at 23-year-old Christopher M.R. Johnson and 26-year-old Stephen A. Sterner. Police said the video shows the victim walking toward the bathroom and Johnson and Sterner following him.

Johnson was arrested and faces one count of second-degree robbery, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Iowa City Sgt. Scott Gaarde said a warrant has been issued for Sterner's arrest, who is not yet in custody.