Author: Iowa Radio News

MANLY, IA (IRN) – A Lake Mills woman is in jail after allegedly pointing a gun at someone while intoxicated. KIMT-TV reports Jennie Aasland was arrested after she allegedly pointed a gun at a woman and her family Sunday in Manly. When officers arrived, a pistol was found in the gravel between the Aasland and the victim.

IOWA FALLS, IA (IRN) – A north-central Iowa couple have been killed in a crash at an intersection near Iowa Falls. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the two were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The second vehicle, driven by a 16-year-old, failed to stop and yield at an intersection, striking the couple’s car, and then hitting a utility pole. The 16-year-old, another 16-year-old, and a 17-year-old in the car were hospitalized.

LINN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Emergency crews are at Palisades-Kepler State Park in Linn County searching for a missing boater. KWWL-TV reports an adult male fell out of his boat and into the river. As of 12:30 p.m., the boater hadn’t been found and rescue crews were still searching.

LEON, IA (IRN) – The DCI is investigating an incident in Leon that happened just after 3 a.m. Sunday when an officer shot a man during a traffic stop. According to police, the man sprayed the officer with mace, and the officer opened fire. The man, in his 50s, survived and is in the hospital.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City has joined a national fundraiser to raise money for immigrants at the Mexican border. KCRG-TV reports from July 5-7, they donated 10% of their funds to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, a non-profit immigration legal services provider in Texas. The fundraiser is called Bookstores Against Borders, and so far, 80 bookstores have raised almost $28,000.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City woman charged with vehicular homicide in Nebraska has pleaded not guilty to driving drunk in Sioux City the same night as the traffic fatality. The Sioux City Journal reports that 19-year-old Maria Gonzalez-Diego’s vehicle hit 62-year-old Antonia Lopez De Ramirez the night of June 24 as the woman walked across a street and kept going. Lopez De Ramirez died later at a hospital.

MONTANA (IRN) – After eight years on the run and being one of the most wanted fugitives, an Iowa man is in custody. KCCI-TV reports Michael Strain, 62, from Lime Springs, was found at a remote Montana ranch Wednesday. In 2011, Strain was indicted in northern Iowa on two counts of being a felon in possession of firearms.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – An Ottumwa firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries after battling a house fire late Thursday night. KTVO-TV reports neighbors felt an explosion and reported seeing the burning house. No one was home when the fire broke out.

WAUKEE, IA (IRN) – The brand-new splash pad at Waukee’s Fox Creek Park is shut down until further notice after several slip and fall incidents. WHO-TV reports city crews will take a look at the concrete on Monday to see why it’s so slick. The concrete pad has a sheen to it even when dry and looks different from the concrete surrounding the pad.

ROCK FALLS, IA (IRN) – The body of a missing man has been found at a Cerro Gordo County campground. KIMT-TV reports Lawrence Howlett, 48 of Sandwich, Illinois, was reported missing on June 8. He was last seen at Camp at the Woods Campground near his camper by the Shell Rock River. His remains were found in a pond at the campground.

NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A West Branch man is accused of repeatedly eating mouthfuls of grass while being arrested. KGAN-TV reports Christopher William McTaggart, 20, was stopped for speeding in a boat on the Coralville Reservoir by a DNR officer. The officer noticed empty alcohol containers and several intoxicated people aboard, including “one girl who was passed out in her vomit.” McTaggart admitted to drinking alcohol, consented to take a field sobriety test and repeatedly put ice cubes into his mouth, despite being told not to by the officer. Once they made it to shore, McTaggart repeatedly put grass and dirt into his mouth before being arrested.

MARION, IA (IRN) – After promoting Neil Young would play at a Woodstock Revisited festival in Marion, the organizers now say that was a hoax. KCRG-TV reports the group organizing the concert had inadvertently worked with what turned out to be a fake promoter.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (IRN) – Former Drake University basketball star Lewis “Black Magic” Lloyd passed away Friday at the age of 60, according to the Philadelphia Tribune. Lloyd is one of the greatest basketball players to ever wear a Drake uniform. He was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and spent parts of eight years playing in the NBA. Lloyd’s number 30 is hanging in the rafters at the Knapp Center.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Many household pets have been scared during the holiday fireworks, and two potbellied pigs in Des Moines, Luna and Pumba, were among them. KCCI-TV reports they ran away and were found in a homeowner’s pool, cooling off. Luna and Pumba are now back home and in their own pool.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Bloomfield man who admitted to the vicious sexual assault of a six-year-old girl plans to appeal his sentence. KTVO-TV reports last December, Steven Crook pleaded guilty to four federal charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Child. In June, he was sentenced to a total of 120 years. Crook is challenging the federal sentencing guidelines in the case, but not his guilt. Crook was arrested last spring after investigators uncovered video evidence of his repeated assault of the girl. Crooks girlfriend, Kendra Hoover, faces state charges for her part in the girl’s abuse.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old Des Moines woman has been arrested in connection with the hit-and-run collision that caused the death of a 19-year-old Des Moines man. The Des Moines Register reports Kevin Truong‘s Toyota Camry was hit on the driver’s side by a Nissan Pathfinder. Truong was transported to a hospital with serious injuries and later died. The driver of the Pathfinder fled the scene. After an investigation, Alexandria Mae Newton had been charged with homicide by reckless driving. Police said they suspect excessive speed to be a major factor in the crash.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 59-year-old man’s leg was amputated after it was caught by a boat propeller in the Des Moines River Thursday afternoon. KCCI-TV reports the man was floating on the river when he fell off his water craft and was struggling. Nearby boaters noticed and came to rescue him. As they helped him onto a boat, his leg was caught in the propeller, amputating the leg.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO (IRN) – An Iowa man was seriously injured in a boat crash on the Lake of the Ozarks Wednesday night. The Missouri State Patrol says 66-year-old Rick Hansen of Wilton was driving his 2003 Baja on the lake when he hit a dock and crashed through its roof.

BELLEVUE, IA (IRN) – Cities and towns across the nation celebrated Independence Day yesterday, but the Iowa town of Bellevue on the Mississippi River did it a bit differently. KWWL-TV reports the highlight is the Ski Bellevue show team, a group of water skiers who put on a daring and athletic performance that draws big crowds. The Ski Bellevue Show Team has been performing in the area for over thirty years.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in West Des Moines Wednesday night. KCCI-TV reports police were called to a home for a domestic disturbance where officers were confronted by a man armed with a weapon. Moments later shots were fired. The suspect was injured in the shooting and transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No officers were injured.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The man accused of starting a fire at the Hawthorne Hills Apartment complex in Cedar Rapids says he wants to use insanity or diminished responsibility defenses. Dallas Tullis, 24, of Cedar Rapids faces arson among other charges. The fire killed 65-year-old Steven Balvin and injured four people, including Tullis and a firefighter.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman rescued from the Raccoon River in Des Moines on Wednesday put herself in danger before she even launched her kayak, fire officials say. WHO-TV reports the woman was found clinging to a log in the river Thursday. She and her husband were kayaking when she lost control and capsized. He called 911 and dispatchers were able to use his cell signal to get a rescue boat to the area. The woman wasn’t wearing a life jacket and admitted she wasn’t a strong swimmer.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – As more parents are choosing not to sign their kids up for youth football, one Eastern Iowa program just got a new tool in an effort to make the game safer. KCRG-TV reports the Metro Youth Football Association in Waterloo purchased 1,000 guardian caps. They are padded, soft shell helmet covers used to reduce the impact of collisions. Organizers say they’re trying to end the stigma associated with tackle football.