More charges filed against Iowa City burglar

IOWA CITY - The suspect in dozens of burglaries in Iowa City and Coralville was carrying a 'realistic-looking” toy pistol, handcuffs and duct tape when he was arrested earlier this week, police said.

Now, 23-year-old Keethan R. Roland - already facing three counts of third-degree burglary - faces even more burglary charges.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, an apartment complex on Iowa Avenue was the target of numerous burglaries in early November and Roland was the suspect in each break-in. In one case, alleged to have occurred on Nov. 9, a PlayStation gaming system was taken from one of the apartments.

Police said Roland contacted someone else that same day and asked that person to pawn the PlayStation for him, claiming he didn't have an ID in order to pawn the system himself. That person - who is not named in the criminal complaint - told police Roland picked him up and took him to a store in Coralville, where he pawned the PlayStation and gave the cash to Roland.

Another break-in is alleged to have occurred on Orchard Court on Nov. 25. Police said in that case, Roland stole a TV and credit card and later used the stolen credit card on gas and an attempted purchase at Wal-Mart.

For those two alleged crimes, Roland faces two counts of third-degree burglary, a Class D felony; and unauthorized use of a credit card, an aggravated misdemeanor.

On Sunday, Roland was arrested in connection with three burglaries alleged to have occurred in October and November and faces three counts of third-degree burglary and one count of possession of a controlled substance. Police said he was carrying an airsoft pistol, handcuffs and duct tape at the time of his arrest.

Sgt. Gaarde said police are working to determine if Roland is connected with any other burglaries.

'If additional evidence comes to light, we'll explore additional charges,” he said.