Oxford, Iowa man charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse

An Oxford man has been charged with kidnapping after police say he threatened an Iowa City woman with a knife and forced her to drive him toward Cedar Rapids on Thursday. The woman had a no-contact order against him related to previous assault and sexual abuse charges.

Cameron Neuzil, 22, is charged with second-degree kidnapping, assault against a person with a protective order, assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, first degree harassment, and interference with official acts in relation to his most recent assault, on Thursday, of the woman who had the no-contact order against him.

According to criminal complaints, Neuzil approached the woman from behind as she was leaving her Iowa City apartment Thursday, at about 4 p.m., and threatened her with a kitchen knife. He told her to put her phone away and not to call anyone or record him, then forced her to her vehicle and demanded she take him to Cedar Rapids.

While she was driving, he threatened to kill her, held the knife to her throat, hit her in the head with the butt of the knife handle, and grabbed her by the throat, leaving red marks on her neck, the complaints state.

Police were called to a U-Haul parking lot at 1600 Highway 1 at about 4:20 p.m. for a report of an assault and a violation of a no contact order. Complaints don’t state who called the police or how the woman got away. Neuzil ran from police and had to be tackled before he was taken into custody.

The initial no-contact order against Neuzil was filed on the woman’s behalf after he was charged with attempted burglary on Aug. 31.

According to criminal complaints in that case, Neuzil tried to break into the woman’s apartment while drunk and repeatedly threatened to hurt her. She called the police and showed them videos she had taken of Neuzil attempting to break in, and he was arrested. He repeatedly kicked and threatened the officers while being taken into custody.

Neuzil was charged in that case with third-degree attempted burglary, first-degree harassment, assault on persons in certain occupations, public intoxication, interference with official acts, and two counts of harassment of public official or employee. He was released from custody without bond.

On Sept. 26, Neuzil went to the woman’s apartment again and got inside through an unlocked door. The woman locked herself in a bedroom, but the complaint states that Neuzil kicked the door in and assaulted her, strangling her, throwing her down a set of stairs and slamming her head against a sink. He cut her stomach with a knife and sexually abused her, according to criminal complaints.

Neuzil had not yet been arrested again after that incident, but a warrant was put out for his arrest on charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree sexual abuse, and assault against a person with a protective order.

Neuzil had his first appearance in court on Friday for the charges from the Sept. 26 attack and the kidnapping Thursday. He’s being held in the Johnson County Jail on multiple cash-only bonds totaling $125,000.

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com