Police: Iowa City man, juvenile assaulted drunken man

IOWA CITY - An Iowa City man and a juvenile are accused of robbing a passed out man last month.

According to Iowa City police criminal complaints, around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 7, 18-year-old Stephen A. Ross and Kesean A. Smith, 13, of Coralville were in the area of Cascade Lane committing car burglaries, when they came across a man who was drunk and passed out in the grass. Police said Ross and Smith went up to the drunken man and stole his wallet and phone.

After finding the victim's credit card, police said Ross and Smith woke up the man to get his PIN for the credit card. Police said Ross punched the man multiple times in the face and chest until the victim gave him his PIN. Ross and Smith then left with the victim's wallet, phone and cigarettes.

Police said Ross also broke into a car that night, stole two credit cards, an ID and $30 cash while Smith served as a lookout.

The following day, Ross used the assaulted man's stolen credit card to purchase a laptop. When the purchase was declined, Ross left the store and discarded the victim's wallet, which also contained one of the other stolen credit cards. Police said one of the stolen credit cards was eventually used to make nearly $1,300 in unauthorized purchases by Ross and others. One of those individuals is identified in criminal complaints as 23-year-old Keethan R. Roland.

Police said Roland kept the items that were purchased with the stolen credit card. In an unrelated incident, Roland is also accused of selling a stolen Samsung phone at an ECOATM. Roland provided his driver's license to complete the transaction and was photographed selling the phone by the ECOATM.

Ross and Smith have both been arrested. Ross faces charges of second-degree robbery, a Class C felony; third-degree burglary, an aggravated misdemeanor; unauthorized use of a credit card, an aggravated misdemeanor; identity theft, an aggravated misdemeanor; and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a simple misdemeanor. Smith faces charges of second-degree robbery-joint criminal conduct, a Class C felony and third-degree burglary-joint criminal conduct, an aggravated misdemeanor. The Gazette identifies juveniles who have been arrested on felony charges.

Roland faces charges of unauthorized use of a credit card; an aggravated misdemeanor; and fifth-degree theft, a simple misdemeanor.