FAYETTE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is in jail accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. KGAN-TV reports 25-year-old Niall Lewis met a 14-year-old girl on social media and lured her to various locations for sex over the summer. Authorities say that more victims may come forward and more charges could be filed.
CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A judge in Charles City has issued an administrative order banning guns and other weapons in and around judicial offices in north Iowa courthouses. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Second Judicial District chief judge Kurt Wilke gave the order Oct. 12. The ban covers the district’s 22 counties. Law enforcement and court officers are exempt from the ban.
BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – A house used as a supported community living home suffered an estimated $30,000 worth of damage after a fire broke out in Burlington Sunday. WQAD-TV reports three residents and an employee were able to get out without injury. The cause of the fire is under investigation and is considered suspicious.
SCOTT COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A homeless man in Cedar Rapids is set to go to trial for his second murder charge. KCRG-TV reports Travis Standlee is charged with the murder of Sharon Mead, who was also homeless. Prosecutors claim Standlee killed Mead the day after he was released from jail, under suspicion of the murder of a second homeless person, Raymond Ursino. Police didn’t have enough evidence to hold him at the time. Earlier this year Standlee was found guilty in the murder of Ursino, and sentenced to 50 years in prison.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Des Moines at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning. WHO-TV reports 43-year-old Sheila Hensley of Des Moines was killed when her vehicle left the roadway at a high rate of speed and struck a utility pole.
AVOCA, IA (IRN) – One man was killed and three were injured in a crash Saturday night on Interstate 80 near Avoca. The driver of the car, Jesus German, lost control of the vehicle and it rolled multiple times before coming to a stop. The man killed was partially ejected, and his name has not been released. Troopers say speed and alcohol played a role in the accident. One passenger, Antonio Aguilar, was arrested on an existing felony warrant. The men are from Nebraska.
AMES, IA (IRN) – Runners laced up their sneakers at the Paws to Cure Cancer 5K at Iowa State University Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. Some brought their furry friends along for the fun and to raise money to help fight canine cancer, the top cause of death for dogs in the United States. Organizers say cancer research helps not only humans, but our pets as well.