Court Case Continues for Iowa City Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Woman Looking to Rent Her Apartment

The trial for a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her apartment under the premise of being a prospective renter in March is scheduled to continue this week.

Peng Tang, 21, is due to appear at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Johnson County Courthouse.

This is a continuation of a hearing on a defense motion to suppress on Sept. 7. That hearing was not completed, and additional time was required, according to court records.

The hearing on Friday has a maximum three-hour window, and attorneys are to notify the court administrator if additional time is requred.

According to online court documents, Tang, of Iowa City has waived his right to a speedy trial within 90 days of the accusation. This has allowed the trial that had been scheduled for June 5 to be moved to Oct. 16, with a pretrial conference on Oct. 5.

Incidentally, court records show that Tang's birthday is Oct. 19.

Tang has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the 1000 block of West Benton Street on March 29.

The woman told police that as she showed Tang the bedroom in her apartment,  he closed the door behind them and locked it, grabbing her hands behind her back and attempting to bind them. The woman said she tried to speak to the Tang but he put a towel into her mouth, then forced her to turn her cell phone off, then sexually assaulted her.

The man allegedly told the woman that he had a knife during the episode. He also took sexually explicit photos of the woman and threatened to post them online if she called police, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigation of the incident, including assistance from the woman, led the police to Tang within 24 hours.

You can read more details about the investigation into the assault here.