Category: State News

LAKOTA, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa man is suspected of killing a woman. KCCI-TV reports first responders were called to a home in the Kossuth County town of Lakota Saturday to investigate a report of a domestic assault. They found the body of 38-year-old Krista Hesebeck. 45-year-old Chad Dietrick is charged with first-degree murder.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Federal prosecutors have filed a weapons charge against a Chicago man, so Iowa has dropped charges filed over the same shooting incident in Dubuque.
The Telegraph Herald reports that Ricardo Sanchez already has pleaded not guilty to the federal charge: possession of a firearm by a drug user. Police say Sanchez fired repeatedly into Club Rise in Dubuque. The club was closed, but four employees were inside. None was hit.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy shot in the hand Saturday, according to WHO-TV. The victim told police he was supposed to be meeting a girl he had met in juvenile detention. When he arrived, the girl and a male attempted to rob him. The male fired a single gunshot–hitting the victim in the hand–then the two fled the scene.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Legislature is considering a bill that would limit the public’s access to many 911 calls. The legislation would declare that audio, video and transcripts of 911 calls involving injured people are confidential medical records and exempt from Iowa’s open records law. If enacted, authorities’ initial response to shootings, stabbings and many other incidents could face less public scrutiny.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Johnston-Grimes Fire Department is raising money to buy three medical-grade saunas to help reduce firefighters’ risk of contracting cancer from pathogens in the air while battling fires. KCCI-TV reports cancer claims firefighters at a greater rate than the general population, and sweating helps release harmful chemicals that cause cancer.

DES MOINES, (IA) – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey will be sworn into his new position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture today. The Des Moines Register reports Northey will hold a news conference this morning to resign from his state position. Then, U.S. Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue will swear in Northey tonight during the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

LEE COUNTY, FL (IRN) – New details have been released in connection to the murder of 19-year-old Noah Campbell, according to WHO-TV. In August 2017, Campbell was shot ambush-style in front of a Des Moines gas station. Afterward, a warrant was issued for 19-year-old Malik Mandujano as a material witness in Campbell’s death. Mandujano is currently in custody in Florida’s Lee County Jail. He’s not charged with anything relating to Campbell’s death, but officials believe he has pertinent information.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Police have arrested two people in connection with the Sept. 22 shooting death of a man during a robbery at his Davenport home. The Quad-City Times reports the two have been charged with one count each of first-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. 20-year-old Brady Tumlinson was shot to death when five men entered his home with the intent to rob him. A woman was seriously wounded.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa lawmakers are making progress in repairing what many critics call a broken mental health care system. KCCI-TV reports the legislation was passed unanimously in a bipartisan effort. Sponsors of the bill say it improves the state’s response to mental health care by creating teams to analyze resources throughout Iowa, six critical access centers and several residential homes. The measure would also provide funding for at-home aid.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa’s only licensed medical marijuana manufacturer is looking to open a cannabidiol dispensary in Sioux City. The Sioux City Journal reports that MedPharm Iowa wants the Sioux City Council to submit a letter of support as it applies for a state license to open the dispensary. The council is set to discuss the request at a meeting Monday.

DALLAS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A former Dallas Center pastor was sentenced to probation on Friday after being charged with sexual abuse last year. WHO-TV reports Randy Johnson faced 13 counts of sexually abusing his daughter. His daughter, now 16, disagrees with the decision, telling the court, “I want everyone in this courtroom to know that Randy Johnson is not innocent, and he deserves the maximum sentence for all the sexual, mental, and emotional abuse I will forever live with.”

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – An eastern Iowa man has been given 10 years in prison for beating his 38-year-old son to death. The Clinton Herald reports that Glenn Plummer III, of Camanche, was sentenced Thursday. Responding to a domestic assault call, police found Plummer and his son, 38-year-old Joseph Plummer. Joseph Plummer told investigators that his father had beaten him. The son died shortly later.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 35-year-old Omaha man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a powerful synthetic opioid that led to the 2015 death of a Council Bluffs man. Walter O’Donohue III was part of a drug trafficking ring responsible for obtaining fentanyl from China and selling it western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa farmers are bracing for the possible fallout from President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. KCCI-TV reports Matthew Mitchell, a professor of international business and strategy at Drake University, predicts the effects will extend well beyond the steel industry. Mitchell said China could end up putting their own taxes on Iowa exports like soybeans, corn and pork. He said, “China is evaluating an increased retaliatory tax on Iowa agriculture.”

CRESCO, IA (IRN) – A woman is dead and a man has been charged with murder after a shooting incident on March 1. KCRG-TV reports 34-year-old Brian Fullhart was uncooperative with officers when they arrived on scene, and threatened to shoot them. After Fullhart was taken into custody, officers found a body in the house, identified as Fullhart’s wife, 34-year-old Zoanne Fullhart of Decorah. Brian Fullhart has been arrested and charged with First Degree Murder and Going Armed With Intent.

OSKALOOSA, IA (IRN) – A William Penn student and basketball player has died of a stab wound. University sources say the victim was Marquis Todd, from Woodbridge Illinois. Police say they believe there was a minor vehicle accident, and a fight ensued that resulted in the stabbing. No arrest has been made.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man robbed a Hardee’s in Des Moines Wednesday night. The robber pulled out a handgun and demanded the manager open the safe. When the safe was open he grabbed cash and fled on foot. A silent alarm notified police, but the man had fled the scene before they arrived. Police used a K-9 to track the suspect but the search was unsuccessful.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines fire crews were called to a mobile home fire Thursday in the southeast part of the city. KCCI-TV reports two dogs died in the blaze.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has named Mike Naig (NAYG) as the next Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Naig is currently the Deputy Secretary serving under Secretary Bill Northey. Earlier this week Northey was confirmed by the US Senate as an Undersecretary to Sonny Perdue, the current head of the USDA. Naig will serve the remainder of Northey’s term which ends in January.

SABULA, IA (IRN) – A sudden bridge closure between Savanna, Illinois and Sabula, Iowa added about 40 minutes to some people’s work commutes. But 87-year-old Fred Bresette of Sabula is offering to cut that time in half. He taxis people from the dock in his Sabula backyard, over to the Marina in Savanna. Asked why he does it, he replies, “I love Sabula, I love the people…and I’m just trying to help them.” The rides are free.

TOLEDO, IA (IRN) – A Marion teacher acquitted of not reporting that a teenaged classroom volunteer sexually abused her students is returning to work. KCRG-TV reports Diane Graham is back in a classroom today at Vernon Middle School in Marion. Prosecutors alleged that Graham knew of the abuse, and didn’t report it. Graham testified that she never saw or heard of any abuse, and a jury agreed. The teen has been convicted of sexual abuse.

CRESCO, IA (IRN) – Investigators are looking into a death in northeast Iowa after one person was taken into custody following a standoff. Cresco police and the Iowa State Patrol responded to a call of shots fired. A subject was found to have barricaded himself into a residence. Law enforcement negotiated with the subject for several hours before he surrendered. During a search of the home officers discovered the body of a deceased individual.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Senate passed the so-called “fetal heartbeat bill” Wednesday, which bans most abortions. WHO-TV reports the bill does not provide exceptions in the case of rape or incest, and a doctor who performs an abortion after a heartbeat is detected could face up to five years in prison. All Republicans supported the bill, and all Democrats opposed it.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal judge has sentenced three Cedar Rapids men to federal prison after they pleaded guilty to counterfeiting U.S. currency, stealing U.S. mail, and identity theft. KCRG-TV reports the men stole mail from dozens of mailboxes in the Cedar Rapids area and altered the names on checks, and then fraudulently cashed the checks.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny student suffered permanent brain damage after a bully punched her in the face and slammed her head into a concrete wall, according to a lawsuit filed against the school district. 18-year-old Audrey Vacek alleges that Ankeny High School did little to alleviate years of torment from Mallory Schaubhut. The victim is also angry that the girl who assaulted her was awarded Ankeny’s “Spirit of a Jaguar Award” for her anti-bullying talks that she was legally required to give as part of her court-ordered probation.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The number of drivers caught speeding at more than 100 mph in Iowa has doubled in the past five years, according to the Iowa State Patrol. There were 797 drivers caught doing more than 100 mph last year. That’s more than double the 342 drivers in 2013. The fastest driver the State Patrol stopped last year was going 151 mph.