OGALLALA, NE (IRN) – A 22-year-old Kansas man has been charged with vehicular homicide for the crash deaths of four Iowa residents in western Nebraska July 1. KWWL-TV reports a car driven by 22-year-old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas, crossed the centerline, striking two motorcycles carrying two people each. He told investigators that he’d had little rest the day of the crash while driving from his workplace in Sidney, Montana, home to Kansas.
OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa man will spend decades in jail for attempted murder, according to KTVO-TV. 54-year-old Johnnie Lee Boutchee was sentenced to 40 years in prison for assaulting his girlfriend with a knife, and punching his roommate in the head and knocking him unconscious with a baseball bat.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The future of the downtown Des Moines site where the federal government wants to build a new courthouse could be in jeopardy, according to KCCI-TV. Federal officials were hoping to build an eight-story courthouse on the site of the old YMCA building along the river. Many in the city don’t like the idea, as it takes perhaps the most valued real estate asset in the state off the tax rolls, and prefer commercial development instead. The city council will vote on the measure soon.
WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – A former school board member in Webster City has agreed to a plea deal in a child sex abuse investigation, even though he still says he didn’t do it, according to WHO-TV. Paul Stenger was arrested in December, and resigned from the Webster City School Board after his arrest. He says a jury would believe the testimony of a child over his, despite his innocence.
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids woman says three men busted through the back door of her home early Tuesday morning. KCRG-TV reports the men beat her until she blacked out, then robbed her. Police are looking for the men.
CLINTON, IA (IRN) – The Clinton County Courthouse was evacuated yesterday because of structural damage, according to the Clinton Herald. Maintenance staff noticed a dislodged and rusted beam, and the building was evacuated for safety reasons. The Courthouse was dedicated in 1897 and officials say old age could be the cause.