Police: Men Beat Man Who Sleepwalked into Apartment

By Gregg Hennigan

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Nov 6, 2009 at 12:22 PM CST

Story Updated: Nov 6, 2009 at 6:43 PM CST

IOWA CITY - Three men are accused of beating up another man who sleepwalks after finding him asleep in one of the men’s Iowa City apartment last August.

The victim, who police would only identify as a 21-year-old from Johnson County, was taken to Mercy Iowa City with injuries over most of his body, Sgt. Troy Kelsay said. Kelsay said the injuries didn’t appear to require hospitalization, but he’s not sure how the victim is doing now.

Facing charges of willful injury causing bodily injury are: Derryk B. Berger, 18, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., Jonathan Chun, 20, of Iowa City, and Kevin K. Lee, 21, of Northbrook, Ill.

Chun was arrested last week and Berger turned himself in last night, Kelsay said. A warrant is still out for Lee’s arrest, he said.

Willful injury causing bodily injury is a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $7,500 fine.

The three returned to Chun’s apartment at 5 a.m. Aug. 30 after a night of drinking downtown, according to a criminal complaint.

They found the victim, who the complaint says is a known sleepwalker, asleep on Chun’s couch. Kelsay said the man was staying across the hall but did not live in the complex and he had no reason to believe the three knew the man was a sleepwalker.

The three men woke the victim and then punched and kicked him and beat him with an unknown object, according to the complaint.

Berger was wearing a cast on his arm at the time and a mesh pattern from a cast could be seen on the victim’s head and back, according to the complaint.

The officer who responded to the initial report had no information on possible suspects, but Chun came to the Police Department later that morning to report that he was the victim of a trespass, according to the complaint. Chun then admitted he and Berger and Lee beat the man but said he thought they were justified because the victim was in his apartment, the complaint says.

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