For Immediate Release
Iowa City Man Charged with 1st Degree Theft, Timber Buyer Violations
August 28, 2025 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – Tyler Robert Rogers, 45, of Iowa City, has been charged with Theft in the 1st Degree – Deceive Labor/Service/Property $10,000+, a Class C Felony; and 3 counts of Timber Buyer – Violation of Surety or Accounting Requirements, a Serious Misdemeanor. In February 2025 Rogers allegedly directed loggers to harvest 132 trees owned by Michael Kennedy and others by falsely and fraudulently telling the loggers that he owned the trees and the land, and subsequently failing to honestly account for the timber to their owner, with said timber having a value in excess of $10,000 in rural Johnson County, Iowa. The case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Rogers had his initial appearance this morning at the Johnson County Courthouse, where a judge released Rogers on a $10,000 cash bond. Rogers’s arraignment is scheduled for September 12, 2025, at 2:00pm at the Johnson County Courthouse.
The Class C Felony charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years. The Serious Misdemeanor charges each carry a potential sentence of up to 1 year.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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