A Van Meter man was arrested Saturday after allegedly harassing a Van Meter mother and daughter by attempting to lure the latter into his truck.
David Lee Robertson, 61, of 121 S. Hazel St., Van Meter, was charged with two counts of third-degree harassment, possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The incident began about 6 p.m. Saturday on 352nd Place near Old Portland Road in rural Van Meter, where an 18-year-old female from Van Meter was walking along the roadway.
According to court records, Robertson passed the teenage pedestrian while driving a Lincoln Navigator and then “stopped and backed up” to where she was walking, “rolled the window down” and said, “Get in,” to the young adult.
The victim said, “No,” to Robertson, and she began “running towards her house while calling her mother,” according to court records.
Robertson allegedly told the victim “multiple times to get in his vehicle, while keeping pace with her (vehicle in reverse), and even opening the passenger-side door towards” the victim, according to court records.
The victim’s mother arrived in a vehicle within about one minute and “positioned her vehicle between Robertson’s” vehicle and her daughter, allowing the victim “to escape to the passenger seat of” her mother’s vehicle, according to court records.
When the mother puled her vehicle into a driveway in order to turn around and return to her residence, Robertson allegedly “positioned his vehicle behind” the mother’s, “effectively blocking the women’s vehicle in this driveway,” according to court records.
The mother forcefully informed Robertson “that she was calling the police and she had his plate number,” and “at this point Robertson drove away,” according to court records.
Law enforcement later made contact with Robertson at an Adel convenience store, where he allegedly “reached into his pocket and threw out two clear baggies that contained a crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine,” according to court records.
The items were retrieved by officers of the Adel Police Department, and they field tested positive for methamphetamine at a weight of 12 grams.
Robertson told law enforcement that his interaction with the mother and daughter victims “was a misunderstanding,” and he was innocently asking the teen victim whether she “was okay,” according to court records. Robertson “adamantly denied ever opening any doors to his vehicle or blocking” the mother’s “vehicle in a driveway.”
Robertson was held in the Dallas County Jail on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing April 8 in Dallas County District Court.
Robertson was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in 2022 in Dallas County District Court. He was convicted of unauthorized possession of offensive weapons in 2022 in Dallas County District Court. He was convicted of possession of a controlled substance March 27 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
