Robin Kwemoi Bera, a sophomore runner on the Iowa State University men’s cross country team, was arrested on October 22, 2025, at 9 p.m. outside the football complex.
A warrant for his arrest came out on September 30, 2025. According to reports, the trouble began on September 17, 2025, when a witness saw Bera collide with another car in a minor car accident.
The witness said Bera looked right at them and then drove away without stopping. No one was hurt, but the vehicles sustained damage.
Police issued a warrant for his arrest, and now Bera faces a charge of leaving the scene of a traffic accident where only vehicles were damaged.
The very following day, his teammate, Joash Ruto, paid a $300 bond, and Bera was released into Ruto’s custody.
According to reports, his first court date is scheduled for November 3 at 8:30 a.m. Likewise, he also owes about $210 in fines for this incident.
The arrest occurred just four days before Iowa State announced that several athletes on the men’s team had been suspended for the season.
It was an athletic department spokesperson, Nick Joos, who stated that any discipline resulting from the arrest will be handled within the team. Hence, he didn’t say if the arrest caused the suspensions.
Similarly, the notice didn’t name anyone, but at a big meet on October 17, the team finished 27th without its top five runners from an earlier race.
Those missing runners were Joash Ruto, Sanele Masondo, Robin Kwemoi Bera, Rodgers Kiplimo, and Meshack Kimutai.
Bera has only run in one meet this year. He finished third for his team and seventh overall at the Gans Creek Classic on September 26.
He’s still listed to run in the Big 12 Championships on October 31 in Kansas.
This isn’t Bera’s first run-in with the law. On July 28, 2025, he was charged with failing to provide proof of insurance following an accident. He paid over $1,100 in fines for that one and wasn’t arrested.
