DEWITT, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of an elderly man killed when a train struck his car in the Clinton County town of DeWitt. KWQC-TV reports 86-year-old Harvey Witt’s 1986 Ford Tempo stalled on the tracks at a Union Pacific crossing around 10:30 p.m. Police say they do not know why Witt didn’t exit the vehicle as the train was approaching.
NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges after leading authorities on a pursuit that reached 151 miles per hour. KGAN-TV reports 31-year-old Jordan Fetter cut in front of an trooper going 90 mph on a motorcycle near the I-80/I-380 interchange Monday. The trooper then activated his lights, and Fetter accelerated to 151 mph. Fetter was eventually stopped, but had to be shot with a stun gun to be apprehended. He was found with a loaded 9mm pistol, brass knuckles, a tin box with a green leafy substance, syringes and a baggie of white powder.
WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines family is mourning the loss of their 18-day-old baby girl, after she came in contact with someone with a cold sore. KCCI-TV reports Mariana Sifrit died Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after being hospitalized for 10 days. The virus attacked Mariana’s blood, bone marrow, kidneys, liver, and brain.
IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man has pled guilty to having sex with an incapacitated woman. KCRG-TV reports 26-year-old Nathan Schloss sexually abused the woman multiple times and recorded it. Authorities say there could be multiple other victims. Police discovered the videos after Schloss turned in a hard drive to show them a video of his former roommate torturing a cat. The roommate received probation.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa Senate Republican caucus staffer who accused supervisors of ignoring a “boy’s club” culture that fostered rampant sexual harassment was awarded $2.2 million Tuesday by a Polk County jury. The Des Moines Register reports former communications director Kirsten Anderson was fired in May of 2012, seven hours after handing in a memo detailing her concerns about a toxic work environment in the Republican caucus office.
WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines firefighters made a series of unusual rescues yesterday. WHO-TV reports a passerby noticed flames coming from the rear of a home and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Firefighters arrived and were able to save three dogs and two birds as well as put out the fire. The homeowners returned while firefighters were still on scene, and when they found out all the animals were safe, one of the homeowners collapsed in tears of joy.