Cedar Rapids man arrested in connection with Coralville hotel burglary

CORALVILLE - A Cedar Rapids man is accused of stealing from a Coralville hotel after being fired from there.

According to Coralville police criminal complaints, officers were called to Heartland Inn, 87 Second St., around 1:40 a.m. Thursday for a report of a robbery. Officers were told that the suspect took money from the cash register and then fled west on a bicycle toward First Avenue.

Police located a suspect matching that description - Brent J. Rodgers, 28 - at the Deli Mart on First Avenue. Rodgers was sweating and breathing heavily, but told police it was due to asthma. Police said Rodgers gave officers the name 'William R. Rodgers,” but later said he lied because he thought he had a warrant out for his arrest.

Police said Rodgers also admitted to carrying MDMA, a drug more commonly known as ecstasy, and gave officers eight MDMA capsules, as well as about four grams of methamphetamine. Police said Rodgers tried to eat the MDMA, but was stopped by officers.

A Heartland Inn employee said Rodgers previously worked there, but had been terminated. Surveillance footage showed a suspect wearing the same clothes Rodgers was wearing and the large amounts of cash officers found on him matched what was taken from the register, police said. A bicycle and a backpack also were recovered between the hotel and Deli Mart, police said.

Rodgers faces charges of second-degree burglary, a felony; two counts of possession of a controlled substance - second offense, an aggravated misdemeanor; obstruction, an aggravated misdemeanor; providing false identification information and interference with official acts, both simple misdemeanors.

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com