Monday, October 26, 2015

DOWS, IA (IRN) – An Ohio homicide suspect has been apprehended in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports the Iowa State Patrol stopped a vehicle travelling northbound on Interstate 35 near Dows at 98mph. The driver was identified as 34-year-old Burley Blankenship of Cleveland Ohio. Blankenship is wanted regarding the death of his mother. He’s in jail in Webster City awaiting pickup by Ohio authorities.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A short chase Sunday night ended with a stolen car crashing into a garage in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the driver of the stolen car hit a utility pole before going right through a garage and hitting another car inside. After a foot chase, the driver was taken into custody. 22-year-old Brandon Lee St. Peter was arrested and charged in the case. St. Peter told an officer that he had used marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy about an hour before the crash.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man sought emergency treatment after suffering a gunshot wound to his abdomen on Sunday. KIMT-TV reports the circumstances of the shooting are not known, although it is not thought to be a suicide attempt. Mason City Police are investigating.

SHELLSBURG, IA (IRN) – What started as a complaint about a stolen vehicle turned into a death investigation in Shellsburg, according to KWWL-TV. A neighbor says a woman’s truck was stolen Sunday, and when later recovered, he followed a trail of blood and found the woman’s body. He says there was evidence of a struggle, and suspicion that the person who stole the truck was dating the woman.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was charged after police said he shot two men outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Ankeny. KCCI-TV reports Gabriel Coco, 36, of Des Moines, faces two charges of willful injury after he surrendered himself about 30 minutes after the incident Saturday. The victims suffered serious injuries. Investigators said an argument over poor behavior at the restaurant escalated into gunfire.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – A Jasper County inmate has taken his own life while lodged in jail, according to WOI-TV. It happened Saturday evening when inmates in the man’s pod noticed that Michael Criqui, 23, of Newton was attempting suicide and they yelled for help. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. Criqui used a bed sheet tied around his bunk to strangle himself.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former basketball coach who was accused of scamming parents, his landlord and a church has moved his con to Las Vegas. WHO-TV reports Glendon Alexander ran a basketball academy in Urbandale. Parents say Alexander made a lot of big promises about training their kids, and they wrote a lot of big checks. But parents say it all turned out to be a scam. He skipped town, was arrested in Dallas, and has now been named in a scam in Las Vegas.