Lopez

A Marshalltown man who had been wanted on a warrant for allegedly punching an individual under the age of 18 since July of 2020 was arrested early on Saturday morning after allegedly crashing his vehicle into an unoccupied parked car while intoxicated.

According to a criminal complaint, 41-year-old Jose Garcia-Lopez was driving along the 900 block of West State Street at about 2:16 a.m. on Saturday when he collided with a legally parked and unoccupied Chevy Silverado. After he attempted to flee the scene on foot, an officer from the Marshalltown Police Department (MPD) made contact with Garcia-Lopez at the 1100 block of West State Street and noticed that he smelled strongly of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes.

An eventual breathalyzer test showed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.163, more than twice the legal limit, and a dispatcher advised the arresting officer that Garcia-Lopez had two outstanding warrants against him connected to the 2020 incident.

The prior complaint alleges Garcia-Lopez engaged in a verbal argument with an individual under the age of 18 and punched the individual before fleeing the scene and avoiding immediate arrest. According to the report, the victim had cuts and a bloody nose, and the victim was forced to use a shovel in self defense to stop the assault. Other witnesses who were present told officers they saw Garcia-Lopez assaulting another child as well.

At the time, he was charged with child endangerment — bodily injury, a Class D felony, three counts of child endangerment, each an aggravated misdemeanor, and assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, a serious misdemeanor. He is currently being held in the Marshall County Jail on a $10,000 cash bond, and an initial hearing is scheduled for Feb. 18.