Police say Iowa City man tried to harass robbery victim to save sister

An Iowa City man has been arrested for allegedly bribing and harassing a robbery victim in order to save his sister.

According to criminal complaints, the victim of a Dec. 28 robbery told police she had been receiving threatening phone calls from a man whose sister is a co-defendant in the robbery.

The victim told police Timothy P. Washington, 23, called her at 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 8 and told her “she needed to drop the charges against his sister or else.” The woman told police she hung up, but Washington called back at least four more times the same night from the same phone number.

The victim said she knows Washington well and recognized his voice. Police said they contacted Washington two nights earlier on Jan. 6 to warn him about harassment.

On Jan. 10, Washington called the victim again and told her to pick him up at his home. The woman complied because she was afraid Washington would harm her if she did not follow his directions. During the car ride, Washington allegedly offered the woman $3,000 cash to drop the charges against his sister and the other co-defendant. Washington later sent the woman a text message referring to the cash he was still holding for her.

Washington has been charged with tampering with a witness and third-degree harassment.

According to records, Washington began harassing the victim after Iowa City police arrested his sister, Tatianna T. Washington, 21, and Kortney A. Roe, 21, on Jan. 6 in connection to the robbery and assault.

According to criminal complaints, Tatianna Washington and Roe went to the home of the victim at 945 Crosspark Ave. in Iowa City on the evening of Dec. 28 to demand payment for a broken window in Roe's car.

Police said Roe put her hands in the victim's pockets to attempt to take money from her, but the woman pulled away. Tatianna Washington then allegedly held the victim while Roe hit the woman in the mouth with what the victim identified as “brass knuckles.”

Roe then allegedly went to the victim's car and stole her purse, insulin monitor, needles and insulin before fleeing the scene with Washington. Police said the victim was “bleeding profusely” from the mouth when they arrived on scene. The victim was taken to Mercy Hospital in Iowa City for treatment and was referred to a specialist to fix her teeth, which police said were “folded back.”

Tatianna Washington and Roe are charged with first-degree robbery, a Class B felony. They were being held in the Johnson County Jail Thursday on separate $50,000 cash-only bonds.