No Additional Charges Filed So Far After Iowa City Woman Allegedly Ran Friend Over with Truck

The Iowa City Police are taking their time investigating before filing more charges against the woman who allegedly ran over and killed her friend with a truck on Sunday evening.

Miranda Lalla, 50, of Iowa City currently faces a second-offense operating while intoxicated charge after police say she ran over Pamela Gross, 44, of Iowa City following a physical dispute.

Investigators are trying to establish the circumstances of Gross' death, who was dropped off at home Sunday night by Lalla in a parking lot area near her Gross' residence at 315 E. 1st St. at about 7:18 p.m., according to an Iowa City Police criminal complaint.

Lt. Bill Campbell said police are investigating the role of the physical fight between the two women that led up to incident, as well as Lalla's level of intoxication while driving.

The results of these investigations could dictate the severity of any additional charges Lalla receives, if she receives any at all.

"I can tell you that all the charges out there are still being looked at," Campbell said.

Lalla told investigators that she and Gross had gotten into a physical altercation after Lalla had dropped Gross off after the pair had beers at the nearby Jobsite bar, according to the criminal complaint. After the fight, as Lalla decided to leave with the truck door open, and she backed into Gross who was standing right next to the vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, Gross was knocked over by the open door and pulled under the truck.

Campbell said he was uncertain if Gross died before officers arrived. He did say that it was his understanding that officers were unable to speak with Gross on the scene before her death, as she was either dead or unconscious at that time.

Vanessa Miller of the Gazette spoke with witnesses who saw the accident, and they told her things could have been even worse.

A dented SUV still sat in the parking lot with a broken taillight Monday morning, along with a sedan that also had broken glass and a dent in its rear end. Barnes said the SUV prevented the Dodge Ram that Lalla was reportedly driving from careening into the other families who were outside at the time.

“It was a bad situation,” said Barnes who, along with other witnesses in the complex, said he came down to help Gross after the collision. “It didn’t look good.”

After the accident, police say Lalla showed measurable impairment when performing field sobriety tests. She later refused chemical testing, but officers obtained a search warrant for a blood test. Toxicology results should take weeks to complete, according to Campbell, but charges will be filed before they return.

Lalla blew a .093 on a blood-alcohol breathalyzer test, according to the criminal complaint.

As of Monday, Lalla was being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond. An autopsy was completed on Gross as part of the investigation.