Coralville officers hurt amid traffic stop

CORALVILLE - Two Coralville police officers were injured in a fight early Saturday morning with a man investigators say had been a passenger in a car where drugs and a loaded weapon were found.

In a news release, Coralville Police Chief Barry Bedford said at approximately 1:58 a.m., the officers pulled over a car in the 500 block of First Avenue.

During a search of the vehicle, Bedford said officers located “19 individual bags of marijuana and a loaded handgun.” One of the car's passengers, Charlie D. Pitchford, 31, of Cedar Rapids, then tried to flee the scene, but officers caught him and a fight broke out.

Bedford said during the fight, the officers were injured before using a Taser on Pitchford and arresting him.

The officers were treated and released from an unidentified local hospital. Pitchford is facing multiple charges, including Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon and Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver, which are class D felonies, as well as Carrying Weapons, and two counts of Interference With Official Acts, which are aggrevated misdemeanors. He remained jailed last night in Johnson County.

Caniya Barron, 27 and Crystal Turner, 29, also of Cedar Rapids, also were in the car and also are charged with Interference with Official Acts.