According to Iowa City Police criminal complaints, Bobby Ellsworth Siberts, 62, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (vehicle), an aggravated misdemeanor, and attempting to leave the scene of an accident, a serious misdemeanor, for the collision that happened at 300 South Madison Street at 2:02 p.m. on Oct. 26.Several commenters in the Iowa City Patch article are complaining about the weak charges that Siberts is facing. They are questioning why he isn't facing attempted murder charges.
Police say that Siberts intentionally turned his vehicle into the path of a bicyclist, causing the bicyclist to collide with the passenger side of his vehicle, throwing the cyclist from his bike onto the concrete. Siberts then reportedly got out of his car and verbally threatened the downed rider before getting back into his car and attempting to drive away, according to the complaint.
Siberts was stopped by a nearby witness who told him that the police had been called and he should stay on the scene, according to the complaint. The cyclist suffered minor injuries, including a cut on the knuckle of his left index finger.
Personally, I'm wondering why it has taken so long for Siberts to get charged. It's possible that the police have been searching for him all this time, but more likely they've been investigating the incident and trying to figure out if he swerved around the bicyclist accidentally and then got out and yelled at him or if he swerved around the bicyclist on purpose and then yelled at him.