An Iowa City man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after driving into five people who were tent camping outside Shelter House.
Roman Aguilar Ventura, 30, of Iowa City, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on July 3 for one count of operating while intoxicated, two counts of willful injury resulting in bodily injury, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of driving while barred, and one count of driving while license denied or revoked following an incident in August 2025.
Aguilar Ventura pled guilty to the charges in March 2026 after initially pleading not guilty at his arraignment.
“The defendant targeted vulnerable people who were living in an unsafe situation,” said Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith in a news release. “This sentence ensures that he will no longer be a danger to the public.”
Verbal altercation outside Shelter House led to a hit-and-run
Shortly before 11 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2025, Aguilar Ventura, after a verbal altercation, drove his 2011 Toyota Camry into five people living in tents on the corner of Southgate Avenue and Waterfront Drive. He then fled the scene, according to court documents.
Shelter House is a 70-bed nonprofit emergency shelter “that has provided housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness since 1983,” according to its website. The organization also operates four homes and a “housing-first complex” that provides more than 60 “permanent supportive housing units.”
One of the people hit was able to describe the assailant and provided a license plate number to police. Officers also discovered a Toyota hubcap at the scene of the accident.
Aguilar Ventura’s vehicle was later found in the parking lot of the Hy-Vee on Waterfront Drive in Iowa City, where a witness reported a man matching Aguilar Ventura’s description exited the car.
Police then visited Aguilar Ventura’s home, where he denied being the assailant but admitted to being intoxicated. According to court documents, Aguilar Ventura failed basic sobriety testing and appeared visibly intoxicated but refused further testing. Police then obtained a search warrant to take a sample of Aguilar Ventura’s blood for a blood alcohol test.
Shelter House tries to provide a safe escape despite limited funds
Only 35% of Shelter House’s services are publicly funded, representatives with Shelter House said in a news release after the incident in August. The organization is required to fundraise to “cover the gap,” which means only 25 of the 70 beds are publicly funded. A lack of money, the organization said, puts the homeless community at risk.
“The victims’ status as individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness amplifies the risk to their safety,” Shelter House said. “But sleeping outside is never truly safe. You can be certain these folks wouldn’t have had their homes or apartment buildings driven into. The fact they are sleeping outdoors makes them more vulnerable in every way: to natural forces like extreme weather, to social stigma, and to human aggression.”
Shelter House is the “only general use shelter for anyone experiencing homelessness in our community,” according to the news release.
“It is one thing to know something is a problem, and another thing entirely to witness it,” the release continued. “Everything is broken. It is time to lean into our collective discomfort and not look away from others’ pain. The people in crisis in our community do not deserve our ire: they need our respect, our support, and our investment.”
Donations can be made at the Shelter House website, www.shelterhouseiowa.org.
Iowa City man has two previous drunk driving convictions
Aguilar Ventura was twice convicted of drunk driving prior to the August 2025 incident, once in January 2024 and again in April 2025. He was sentenced to seven days in jail after the second OWI.
(This article has been updated to include new information.)
Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government, the University of Iowa, and crime for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Iowa City driver sentenced 20 years for hitting 5 near Shelter House
Reporting by Liam Halawith, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Liam Halawith, Iowa City Press-Citizen | USA TODAY Network
