LEE COUNTY – An area man charged with punching an official at a youth basketball tournament last year is facing additional charges.
Urban J. Morris, 40, of Burlington, was charged with assault causing serious injury or mental illness after attacking another offender at the Lee County Jail on March 29.
Lee County Jail Administrator John Canida said Morris allegedly punched an inmate who was sitting at a visitation kiosk multiple times and then kneed him in the head before being restrained by jail staff.
Deputies originally charged Morris with a felony assault after the incident, but the charge has been reduced to a simple misdemeanor.
An arraignment on the charges, which are considered a serious misdemeanor, has been set for April 25 with a $5,000 cash bond in place.
Just over a year ago in April of 2022, Morris turned himself into Lee County authorities after punching referee Patrick Weber during a break at a youth basketball tournament in Keokuk.
Morris was jailed and posted a $5,000 bond.
Morris was accused in April of assaulting Patrick Weber, a certified official with the Iowa High School Athletic Association, after Weber ejected him for sustained verbal abuse during the game.
According to Fort Madison Police reports, Morris then returned between games and asked Weber how long the ejection would last and Weber told him he would talk with him after he set up the brackets for the next game. Weber told police that was the last thing he remembered until waking up and seeing firefighters standing over him.
Weber was then taken by ambulance to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center's Fort Madison campus for treatment and released.
The event was a fundraiser for the Fort Madison High School girls basketball team and had close to 30 teams participating.
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MAllsupAnderson9
His charges should have remained a felony. He has a history of violent crimes and clearly does what he wants. This makes me sick!
Friday, April 21, 2023 Report this