An Iowa City man was accused of misdemeanor assault after his actions led to a fracas with a panhandler in downtown Iowa City.
At 7:29 p.m. last night, police officers encountered a dispute between Eric Arne Pedersen, 54, and a man who had been panhandling downtown, according to an Iowa City Police criminal complaint.
Police investigation determined that Pedersen  had been standing next to the man who was holding a sign for panhandling with a sign of his own "advising people not to give money for people to purchase synthetic marijuana," according to the complaint. This allegedly then led to a dispute between the two, with Pedersen punching the man in the hand and arm.
Pedersen allegedly admitted to taking a swing at the other man, but did not provide more info on the incident when questioned by police. He was booked into the Johnson County Jail last night on a simple misdemeanor assault charge and released from jail this morning, according to online records.
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