Iowa Man Pleads Not Guilty in Mall Crash Case

The 2002 Ford Explorer driven by Joseph Albert Moreno,23, of Iowa City is hauled away from Scheels All Sports at the Coral Ridge Mall Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012 in Coralville. Moreno drove through the front door of the business and fired off at least one gunshot before being taken into custody by law enforcement officials from several agencies. (Brian Ray/The Gazette-KCRG)

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By Ryan Jones

Story Created: Feb 9, 2013 at 7:45 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 9, 2013 at 11:22 PM CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa City man accused of crashing his vehicle into a store in a Coralville mall and firing a handgun inside has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 23-year-old Joseph Moreno pleaded not guilty earlier this week to drunken driving, burglary, reckless use of a firearm and three other charges.

Moreno was arrested Dec. 29 after police say he crashed through the front door of Scheels around 2:30 a.m. Officers responding to a burglary alarm at the store say they found Moreno's vehicle inside near the escalator and heard a gunshot from inside the store.

Police say six hours later, Moreno was found sleeping in an aisle on the second floor of the business and a handgun that had been fired.