Author: Iowa Radio News

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A former employee of The Swiss Colony catalog sales company has agreed to plead guilty to an elaborate fraud scheme in which he stole and sold its merchandise online for years. Chad Saeugling of Asbury was a manager at its warehouse in Peosta that helps fill customer orders. For five years he stole merchandise and sold it online to unwitting customers through eBay.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old northern Iowa man has been accused of punching and robbing his mother. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Michael Dalluge was arrested and charged with felony robbery. Dalluge allegedly punched his mother in her arm and stole $180 from her in Mason City.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A leaking railroad tank car has left a 25,000-gallon trail of animal fat along tracks crossing Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the leak ran about 200 miles, from Missouri Valley in western Iowa’s Harrison County to Fairfax in Linn County. A cap came off the bottom valve of the tanker. The biggest spill was found in Boone, where an estimated 1,500 gallons leaked where the train stopped for 15 minutes.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge has won the Democratic nomination and will face incumbent Chuck Grassley in November to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. Judge, who served as lieutenant governor from 2007-2011, came out on top in a four-way race. Grassley is seeking a seventh term in the Senate.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in West Des Moines are investigating a bank robbery that occurred on Tuesday, according to WHO-TV. Officers say two subjects entered 1st National Bank and robbed the bank by displaying handguns and demanding money. One of the subjects jumped over the counter and removed money from the teller drawers. No one was injured.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police are investigating a shooting where two homes, a United States Postal Service truck, and two other vehicles were hit. KWWL-TV reports more than 25 bullet casings were found where the postal truck was parked. The postal worker was a block away at the time and is uninjured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A senior member of the Iowa Senate says he has suspended his Republican Party membership to protest “racist remarks” made by the party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump. The Des Moines Register reports Sen. David Johnson, of Ocheyedan, said that he changed his voter registration from Republican to “no party.” The senator says he would “not stand silent” if the Republican Party “buckles under the racial bias of a bigot.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was allegedly the victim of a hit-and-run that involved his niece on Monday. KCCI-TV reports 55-year-old Donald Windfield was hit by a car driven by his niece, 17-year-old Kiara Olson. Family members say the pair were arguing before Olson got into a car and pinned her uncle against a house and sped away.

SHENANDOAH, IA (IRN) – A teenager in Iowa was struck and killed by a car during cross-country practice Tuesday, according to the Iowa State Patrol. 14-year-old Kinsee Rooker was crossing Highway 2 in Shenandoah when she was struck by a 2002 Mercury Sable driven by 27-year-old Brent McKinnon of Clarinda. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A 42-year-old woman who admitted stealing from a Lake Mills day care has been given three years of probation and 30 days in jail. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Brenda Steinman used company credit cards and other business funds for her personal use when she was director of the day care.

NEWTON, IA (IRN) – An inmate was found unresponsive in a recreation yard at Newton Correctional Facility, according to KCCI-TV. Prison personnel tried to revive 51-year-old Dennis Brown. He was pronounced dead later at Skiff Medical Center. The cause of death is believed to be coronary artery disease. Brown was serving a 20-year sentence for two sex abuse convictions in Story County.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Alexander Kozak will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to KCRG-TV. A judge handed down the mandatory life sentence during a hearing Monday afternoon at the Johnson County courthouse. Kozak was convicted in April for the June 2015 murder of Andrea Farrington at the Coral Ridge Mall. Kozak told the judge he was regretful for killing Farrington.

ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A Runnels man is recovering after a serious hit-and-run accident occurred Friday in Altoona. WHO-TV reports 51-year-old Wayne Patterson was on his Harley Davidson motorcycle when a red pickup truck failed to stop at a stop sign and hit him. Patterson shattered both wrists, fractured his back in five places, broke his eye socket and cheek bone. Police are still looking for the driver of the truck.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Michael Haugen has submitted a letter of resignation, according to KWWL-TV. In March, Haugen rear-ended another car, but received no ticket. He was in the process of being fired for misconduct the patrol hasn’t explained. His resignation letter says he’s battling opioid addiction.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City casino open fewer than two years is seeking approval to expand its main floor to include high-stakes gambling. The Sioux City Journal reports the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is planning a $5 million, nearly 8,000-square-foot addition to its downtown casino. The Sioux City Council is scheduled to discuss the expansion at a meeting Monday.

DENISON, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the death of a 38-year-old woman. The Denison Police Department received a 911 call June 2 to report a deceased person. Upon arrival, officers found the body of Shelly Snavely. An autopsy was performed Friday and found no signs of inflicted trauma. Toxicology results are pending.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Officials have given the green light for construction to begin on the Bakken oil pipeline through Iowa, according to WHO-TV. Board members have delayed the decision twice.

AMES, IA (IRN) – Fire crews in Ames rescued several residents from an apartment fire early this morning, according to KCCI-TV. When firefighters arrived flames were visible from the roof and windows of the 33-unit complex. Firefighters rescued people from third floor balconies using ladders. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – One man was hurt after a projectile hit him in the head outside a Davenport bar. WQAD-TV reports police responded to a report of a possible gunshot victim. Crews found a 43-year-old man who had been hit in the head while in the patio area of the bar. He was taken to a local hospital. While investigating, officers found “a projectile” which possibly hit the victim. Police say the projectile was not a bullet, and are investigating.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE (IRN) – A northwest Iowa city clerk has been arrested and charged after he tried to meet an underage boy in Nebraska for sex. The Sioux City Journal reports that Lawton, Iowa, City Clerk Douglas Furlich has been charged with sexual assault through use of an electronic device. The 60-year-old posted an ad online saying he was “looking for a younger guy.” An undercover officer responded, pretending to be a 15-year-old boy. An arrangement was made to meet in a city park, where Furlich was met by police and arrested.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Charges are pending for a man who crashed a motorcycle after running away from police, according to KCRG-TV. Cedar Rapids police say the man failed to pull over after officers saw him commit a traffic violation. During the chase the driver of the motorcycle crashed into a street sign. He suffered minor injuries.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Fire crews from three different departments worked to extinguish a townhome fire in Johnston Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. Firefighters from Johnston, Urbandale and Windsor Heights responded. The fire started in one home and spread to at least two neighboring units. No one was injured.

AMES, IA (IRN) – While STEM training–science, technology, engineering and math–are skills in demand by employers, a new study shows that one other skill is even more important. WHO-TV reports the study by Iowa State University has found the number one skill sought by employers is communication–verbal and written. The study contacted 52 employers in different fields who all stressed the importance of communication skills in the workforce.

CLAYTON, IA (IRN) – A man was hit and killed by a train in northeast Iowa according to KWWL-TV. Just before midnight Saturday, Clayton County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Garnavillo Fire and EMS and the Guttenberg Ambulance Service responded to a train incident in the City of Clayton. The man was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Police say a 25-year-old Burlington man shot in the jaw is expected to recover. The Hawk Eye reports the man was shot early Saturday morning. He was not able to provide any details about who may have shot him.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Credit card thieves are continuing to make their rounds in the Des Moines metro. WHO-TV reports for the fourth time this week, Polk County deputies found credit card skimming devices on a gas pump. They found one at the Git-N-Go on Keo Way on Friday, and others earlier at a Git-N-Go in Bondurant and a BP gas station in Grimes. Officials are encouraging drivers not to pay at the pump.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The French Legion of Honor was recently presented to living World War II veterans who participated in military campaigns for the liberation of France, according to KCCI-TV. 91-year-old Glen McClain of Waterloo enlisted when he was 17. He became a machine gunner on a landing ship in the English Channel, a ship he manned on D-Day. Of his 100 shipmates, only McClain and one other man survived. McClain dedicated the medal to the shipmates who died on June 6, 1944.

STUART, IA (IRN) – A 9 year-old female remains in the hospital after a medical emergency at the Stuart Aquatic Center on Friday, according to Raccoon Valley Radio. When Stuart Rescue arrived, lifeguards at the pool were performing CPR. Officials believe some sort of medical emergency is to blame for the incident. According to witnesses, staff at the aquatic center immediately noticed there was a problem with the child as she was swimming and jumped in to save her.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man sentenced to 25 years in prison for possessing a gun during a drug trafficking crime will get out after serving less than half the sentence, according to KWWL-TV. 40-year-old Charrell Burrage went to prison in 2004 after throwing crack cocaine and firearms from a car during a police pursuit. President Obama commuted the sentence.

SPENCER, IA (IRN) – A company that makes hydraulic pumps and motors says it will lay off 70 workers in Spencer over the next year. KGAN-TV reports the Eaton Corporation says 23 employees will be laid off within the next couple of months and the remainder will be let go within the next year. Eaton’s Spencer facility currently employs about 180 people who make pumps and motors for mobile and industrial use. Officials blame declining markets.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Supreme Court says an employee fired because of missed work resulting from being thrown in jail may still be eligible for unemployment benefits. KCRG-TV reports the ruling means 28-year-old Sondra Irving of North Liberty qualifies for unemployment. She was jailed for 27 days for assault. Charges were later dropped but she was fired by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics because she missed too much work.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Iowa residents may fish without a license this weekend. Although purchasing a license won’t be required, all other fishing regulations will still be in place. DNR officials hope the initiative prompts anglers to purchase an annual fishing license.