Iowa City burglary suspect gets additional charge

IOWA CITY - An Iowa City man accused of entering an apartment there and threatening a woman with a knife is now accused of trying to enter other residences before he was caught.

According to an Iowa City police criminal complaint, around 3 a.m. Sunday, a woman heard someone trying to force open her sliding glass door. Police said the woman alerted a roommate and another man in the apartment and together they saw a man, later identified as 30-year-old Vernard Archer, trying to open the door.

Police said there were other reported attempted burglaries in the area during the time frame.

Archer was arrested several hours later after he broke into an adjacent apartment. Police said that around 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Archer broke into a College Street apartment while the victim - another woman - was sleeping inside on the couch. When the woman woke up, Archer shoved her down, held a knife to her neck and threatened to kill her, police said.

The woman's screams woke up the other residents and Archer fled, police said. Officers witnessed him fleeing the area and caught him a short time later in the 600 block of Dubuque Street. He was positively identified by the victim. The latest criminal complaint does not state whether the attempted burglary victim also identified Archer.

Police said Archer was drunk at the time of the break-in and also refused officers orders during an interview. He was initially charged with first-degree burglary, a Class B felony; intimidation with a dangerous weapon, a Class C felony; interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor; and public intoxication, a simple misdemeanor. For the attempted break-in, Archer now has an additional charge of third-degree attempted burglary, an aggravated misdemeanor.

According to online court records, Archer has a lengthy criminal history in Iowa. His latest conviction was for assault causing bodily injury in October 2013.