Iowa City man accused of filing false report in shooting

IOWA CITY — A man is accused of filing a false report after being shot multiple times earlier this month.

According to an Iowa City Police Department criminal complaint, 19-year-old Sergio Martinez arrived at Mercy Hospital the morning of November 1 with gunshot wounds. He told police at the time he was out for a walk through the Rose Oaks Apartment complex when he was shot in each leg by men he did not know.

The report caused the department to call in several off-duty officers to respond to the report and attempt to track down those involved.

According to the complaint, investigators determined Martinez wasn't shot near the apartment complex and he was instead shot by a friend while the pair were inside a car.

He faces one count of filing a false report with a public safety entity, a serious misdemeanor.

Online records indicated Martinez was arrested Wednesday and remained in the Johnson County Jail as of Thursday morning.