Iowa City police arrest suspect in sexual assault outside bar

Iowa City police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in an alley earlier this month.

Anthony Cotner Jr., 25, of Cedar Rapids, faces one count of second-degree sexual assault, according to the Iowa City Police Department.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman was walking home about 1:40 a.m. Oct. 7. As she walked past the Pre Game Lounge and Hookah Bar at 220 S. Van Buren St., Cotner approached her and asked her to go inside the bar with him. She said no, but he started pulling her toward the bar. When she tried to scream for help, Cotner began strangling her with both hands until she was struggling to breathe, the complaint said, and then he sexually assaulted her in an alley near the bar.

Police sought the public’s help in finding a suspect after the assault. A rape kit was performed on the victim and DNA was identified that matched Cotner, police said. During an interview with police, Cotner confirmed he was in the area at the time of the assault, and didn’t have an explanation for why his DNA would be found on the victim, the complaint states.

Cotner had an initial appearance in court Thursday and was being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $200,000 cash-only bail. A no-contact order has been filed on behalf of the victim.