Man jailed for more than 40 days after Iowa City woman files false threat report

IOWA CITY - A man spent more than 40 days in jail due to a fabricated threat, police said.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, on Sept. 23, 2015, 26-year-old Amanda C. Danalewich of Iowa City reported that she had received a 'life-threatening” email from a Gmail account. The supposed sender of the email was also barred from contacting Danalewich, police said.

As a result of Danalewich's accusations, the victim - who is not named in the criminal complaint - was arrested and spent more than 40 days in jail, police said.

However, further investigation found that Danalewich actually sent the threatening email to herself. Police said Danalewich used the victim's old cellphone to access his email account and send herself the threatening message. When officers executed a search warrant at Danalewich's home, they found the victim's old cellphone there, police said.

Danalewich admitted to police in an interview that she sent the email to herself because she wanted the man arrested.

'I'll probably go to jail, but it was worth it,” Danalewich said, according to police reports.

Danalewich has been arrested and faces charges of malicious prosecution and making a false report, both serious misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail.