Third man arrested in connection with Iowa City landlord’s plot to remove tenant

IOWA CITY - A third man has been arrested in connection with an Iowa City landlord's attempt to forcibly remove a tenant, authorities say.

According to an Iowa City police criminal complaint, Rolando Mendez, 36, joined Gilberto Javier Mendez Ayala, 44; Gilberto Mendez Marquez, 68; and Suzanne H. Dashner, 67, on Feb. 10 when they forced their way into a woman's apartment in the 4200 block of Sycamore Street and threatened her.

Dashner, the landlord, is accused of hitting the woman with a bat.

Police said Dashner wanted the woman out of the apartment she manages and recruited the men to remove her.

All four face charges of first-degree burglary, a Class B felony. Dashner faces an additional charge of assault while participating in a felony, a Class D felony.

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