Johnson County prosecutor Janet Lyness confirmed Thursday that the County Attorney’s Office will not drop the charge of tampering with a witness against Peng Tang.

Tang, who allegedly assaulted an Iowa City woman March 29, was charged April 13 with sending a letter to the victim saying she would be rewarded for changing her story. Tang’s parents Xuefan Tang and Li Qiao had been charged April 11 with requesting the victim change her story in an exchange for a reward.

Lyness dropped the charges against his parents, citing "cultural differences" in a statement released Wednesday.

Tang’s bond was increased by $50,000 after the tampering charge, bringing the total bond to $800,000.

First-degree kidnapping is a Class-A felony, punishable by up to life in prison.

A pretrial conference is set for May 25, and the trial is set to begin June 5.

— by Beth Bratsos