Category: State News

LAKOTA – A man from Lakota rescued two juveniles from a burning car following a train crash earlier this week. KCCI-TV reports Alex Horak located a car crushed from a collision with a train, with a 16-year-old and 12-year-old inside. He was able to rescue the two after the vehicle had burst into flames, just a few feet away from ethanol stored on the train.

KEOKUK COUNTY – A Mahaska County Sheriff’s Transport vehicle was involved in a three-vehicle crash in Keokuk County earlier this week. The Iowa State Patrol reports the transport was traveling on Highway 92 before it was struck by a Dodge Durango that failed to yield at the Highway 21 intersection. A tractor trailer was also struck in the incident. Five people were injured, including two children.

DAVENPORIT – Five Quad City individuals were sentenced to federal prison for charges related to their conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, specifically counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. According to public court documents, between April 2022 and March 2024, five individuals conspired together to distribute fentanyl across the Quad Cities area. In total, more than 26,000 pills containing fentanyl were attributed to the drug trafficking organization. Those include 25-year-old Kendrick Eugene Lee, Jr., 26-year-old Juwan Dupri Crawford, 24-year-old Dreyko Ryan Paul Veronie, 42-year-old Kisah Renee Rockwood, and 23-year-old Kee Syonne Arthur Edgar Rockwood-Brown.

DAVENPORT – A Montezuma man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography and 11 counts of cyber stalking. According to public court documents , 20-year-old Jack James Erselius created computer-generated child pornography of 13 different victims under the age of 18. Law enforcement seized electronic devices during a search of Erselius’ Iowa City residence, of which he used to create AI-generated images containing child sexual abuse material of real girls with their clothes removed.

BOONE COUNTY – Body camera video was released this week that shows an Iowa judge found slumped over a steering wheel after going the wrong way on Highway 30 near Boone last fall. KCCI-TV reports Former Chief Judge in Iowa’s Second Judicial District Adria Kester resigned from that position after being arrested and charged for an OWI on November 4th. Kester tried to block the video from being released in a May lawsuit, but dropped that effort recently. The public records include body cam footage and 911 call recordings of the incident.

FAYETTE COUNTY – Authorities say livestock was euthanized following a rollover crash in northeast Iowa. WHO-13 reports the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office responded to the single-trailer crash on Monday, after the driver of a loaded livestock semi lost control while navigating a turn. The animals inside had to be killed, according to police, due to their extensive injuries.

The Appanoose County Sheriff has released new information on the shooting incident injuring four people in Moulton earlier this week. Seventeen-year-old Drakona Lee Clark has been charged with Three Counts of Attempted Murder, Class “B” Felonies, and Three Counts of Willful Injury, Class “C” Felonies, as an adult. Clark was arrested at the University Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City and transported to the Appanoose County Jail where he is being held on $85,000 cash only bond. It is alleged that on Monday, Clark was involved in a physical altercation and retrieved a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun from his father’s bedroom and intentionally shot his estranged step-mother, his twenty-year-old brother, and his brother’s twenty-one-year-old girlfriend.

IOWA – The state of Iowa has recorded its lowest number of mosquitos in a decade. KCCI-TV reports an Iowa State University report indicates its 100 traps it sets across the state have only captured roughly 12,000 of the insects this season. Those numbers of mosquitos are its lowest since 2016. However, several rounds of rain in June into July may increase those by the next series of reports.

DES MOINES – The top three new foods for the 2026 Iowa State Fair have been announced. WHO-13 reports several judges reduced the field down from 11 on Tuesday. The final three in the annual contest are Porky Parm Gnocchi from DG – Destination Grille, All-American Scrambled Egg Roll from Winn & Sara’s Kitchen, and Ultimate Minneapple Pie from Minneapple Pie.

MOULTON – Four people were injured in an apparent domestic incident involving a firearm in Moulton. KCCI-TV reports the Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call that three people were shot. Police took a 17-year-old into custody as the suspect before being flown to a hospital with injuries. Two of the three victims were also taken by helicopter with serious injuries.

MARSHALL COUNTY – Two people died in a motorcycle crash in Marshall County on Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol reports the operator attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone and failed to negotiate a curve, losing control and sliding into a ditch, vaulting the bike and ejected both passengers. According to the report, Rhodes residents 31-year-old Brandon Overman and 27-year-old Chandler Kendall both died from their injuries.

ANKENY – A former softball coach and teacher in the Ankeny School District lost her appeal of a prison sentence. WHO-13 reports Rachel Whiteside was free on bond during the appeal but is now back to serve her original prison term of 20 years after being found guilty of sexual exploitation of a minor as a school employee. Whiteside was accused of grooming a middle school student and carrying on an inappropriate relationship in 2015, and that victim filed a complaint in 2024. The Iowa Court of Appeals upheld the sentencing decision.

PAGE COUNTY – The Iowa State Patrol is assisting with an investigation into a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash that resulted in a death on Saturday. A report filed this weekend indicated the Page County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident just before 10 p.m. on Saturday, when a Toyota Venza struck a person walking near or on the roadway. Roselyn Robbin Stark died from her injuries.

IOWA CITY – A suspect in the shooting incident at the Iowa City Ped Mall earlier this year is requesting a juvenile trial. KCCI-TV reports Damarian Jones faces five counts of attempted murder. Police claim he was handed a gun during a fight involving dozens of other people. His attorneys argue he should be tried as a juvenile because he was 17 when the incident occurred. A judge will rule on the motion sometime this week.

ALTOONA – Democratic candidates for statewide offices rallied at an event over the weekend in Altoona, with the aim of flipping many of the state’s elected seats held by Republicans in both Iowa-based and federal elections this coming November. WHO-13 reports Candidates Rob Sand and Josh Turek were among the speakers at the Liberty and Justice event, with keynote speaker Former U.S. Transportation Secretary and former Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg coming to support.