Cedar Rapids man accused of smashing van windows with baseball bat

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Cedar Rapids man arrested over the weekend is accused of breaking windows on a van with a baseball bat.

Cedar Rapids police responded about 10:20 p.m. Saturday to the 1800 block of J Street SW for reports of a disturbance that possibly involved a weapon.

The dispute, police said, involved three people - John Graham, 47; Regina Graham, 48; and Thomas Alan Mart, 59, who police say the Grahams had allowed to stay on their property.

Officers determined John Graham was asleep in a van parked on J Street when Mart began smashing the van's windows. The men then got into a fight, police said, and Regina Graham joined in, trying to get the bat away from Mart.

Mart broke out the front and back windshields and two back windows, causing more than $1,000 worth of damage, according to police.

He faces a charge of second-degree criminal mischief, a Class D felony.

Police said Mart requested John Graham also be charged for punching him. The police department said the Linn County Attorney's Office is reviewing the case information.

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