Columbus Junction men charged with kidnapping, robbery

IOWA CITY - Two Columbus Junction men were arrested Sunday and charged with several crimes after police say they kidnapped and robbed a woman after holding her at gunpoint.

According to the Iowa City Police Department, officers responded to the area of Gilbert and Iowa streets around 5:33 a.m. Sunday. A woman reported she was robbed by two men with a gun. Officers arrived and located the woman, who said the two men - identified by police as Antonio A. Aguilar, 22, and Angel Rodriguez, 19 - offered her a ride in a vehicle. She told police she accepted their invitation and rode around with them for a while before one of the men pulled a handgun, pointed it at her and demanded money.

She told police she complied and the suspects stole an undisclosed amount of cash and property.

While obtaining a description of the suspects and the vehicle, a vehicle matching the description given by the woman drove by the officers, police said. Officers initiated a traffic stop in the 300 block of Burlington Street and the driver, later identified as Aguilar, pulled over, but jumped into the back seat.

Aguilar and Rodriguez, who was a front seat passenger, were then taken into custody without incident and the woman identified them as the perpetrators, according to police. Evidence of the robbery was found on the suspects and in the vehicle, including a handgun, police said.

Further investigation determined that following the armed robbery, the two suspects indicated they intended to sexually assault the woman, police said. She was able to open the car door and jump out of the moving vehicle, suffering minor injuries as a result, police said.

Aguilar and Rodriguez are charged with first degree robbery and second degree kidnapping, both class B felonies. Aguilar also faces charges of drunken driving, second offense, and driving while license barred, both aggravated misdemeanors.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone who witnessed any portion of the incident is encouraged to contact the Iowa City Police Department at (319) 356-5275.