An Iowa City man has been charged after allegedly stealing a bottle of vodka.

Carl Johnson, 52, was charged Aug. 27 with third-degree theft.

The police complaint stated that an African-American man wearing a black shirt began to leave a store with a bottle of vodka.

The reporting party told officers he left without paying, and store officials confronted him in the parking lot.

When Johnson was confronted, he returned the bottle and left the scene riding a blue bike. Officers found him just a few blocks away, where he reportedly confessed.

The bottle of vodka was valued at $6.49. This is not the defendant’s first theft charge. His last conviction was Dec. 14, 2011.

Third-degree theft is an aggravated misdemeanor.

— by Megan Sanchez