BUTLER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Waverly man was accidentally shot and killed by his wife while they were hunting on Christmas Eve. KWWL-TV reports 47-year-old Kirk Hummel was accidentally shot and killed when his wife Kathleen’s gun discharged while they were hunting rabbits on his parent’s farm.
URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Urbandale police are looking for an armed suspect after they say he assaulted a police officer early Thursday. KCCI-TV reports an officer pulled over a vehicle, and while speaking to the driver, the officer was pepper sprayed by the driver, who then fled the scene. Police believe the driver is 25-year-old Brandon Bordinat. They consider him armed and dangerous.
ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A 22-year-old man died after a barbell slipped from his grasp and his neck at a gym in Ankeny, according to KGAN-TV. The accident occurred Monday morning at Elite Edge Transformation Center. A spokesman for the center says that Kyle Thomson was lifting 315 pounds on a bench press when the barbell slipped. There were spotters helping.
FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – The DCI has ruled the death of a man found in a field near Fort Dodge a homicide. 51-year-old Donald Preston of Fort Dodge died from a gunshot wound. Preston was last seen by his family on Thursday, December 22. He was found in the field four days later. Investigators are looking into who shot Preston and dumped his body.
BELLEVUE, IA (IRN) – A man from the Jackson County town of Bellevue died from multiple stab wounds, according to the State Medical Examiner’s Office, which performed an autopsy Tuesday. Authorities have ruled the death of James Remakel a homicide.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An arrest has been made in the robbery of a Des Moines bank. KCCI-TV reports 41-year-old Robert Hugen, of Indianola, is charged with second-degree robbery. Hugen allegedly handed a note to a Wells Fargo bank teller stating he was armed and demanding money, though no weapon was displayed. The teller complied and the suspect fled. The bank teller says the robber was wearing a thick layer of makeup to hide his identity.
WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – January in Iowa can be cold and dreary, but employees at a cabinet company in Waterloo are about to get a sunny reprieve from the winter doldrums, all thanks to the boss. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the 800 employees of Bertch Cabinets will get a free trip to the Caribbean next month. Company President Gary Bertch says the trip is a reward for employees after the company met its goals for the year.