MITCHELLVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Mitchellville man has been arrested and charged in a sexual abuse case involving a teen. KCCI-TV reports 22-year-old Daryl Merrill was charged with third-degree sexual abuse. Merrill is accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. CHARLES CITY, IA (IRN) – A Floyd County man is accused of shooting a crossbow pistol at another man. KIMT-TV reports 19-year-old Devin Hundley shot his then-roommate after the two argued. Hundley was kicking the man out of their residence, but he re-entered the building, and was shot in the chest while reaching for the crossbow that Hundley was pointing at him. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – John Deere & Company announced 115 layoffs at the Waterloo plant this morning, according to KWWL-TV. 30 employees will also be laid off in Davenport. This comes exactly one month after 120 employees were laid off in East Moline, Illinois. Two years ago today, Deere laid off 460 employees in Waterloo. HAMBURG, IA (IRN) – The Southwest Iowa dive team is looking for a person who fell into the Missouri River when a boat overturned Sunday near Hamburg, according to KETV. Witnesses at the scene rescued 47-year-old Johnnie Fields of Shenandoah. The second victim hasn’t been located. The boat lost power and went under a barge. MISSOURI VALLEY, IA (IRN) – KCCI-TV reports Dan Zaiser, the school board president in Missouri Valley, died Saturday in an accident involving a tractor, marking the second time his family has lost someone in a tractor accident. Family said five inches of rain had made the ground muddy, and the tractor slid and rolled on top of him. His brother died in a tractor accident on the same farm years ago. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating a late-night stabbing on the last night of the Iowa State Fair, according to WHO-TV. Police found an 18-year-old man who had been stabbed near the carnival rides. The rides were shut down, and the investigation continues. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Children lined up 50 deep at times at the Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, according to KCRG-TV. The event was called Haircuts for Hope. Any kids hoping to get ready for school could come by Saturday and get a haircut for just $2. All the money raised went to the organization called Families helping Families. It offers programs and services to help foster care children.

HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – An Osage man accused of molesting a teenage boy and plotting to kill him using a method inspired by the TV show “Breaking Bad” has been found guilty. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 52-year-old Mark Retterath was found guilty Friday of attempted murder and sexual abuse. Retterath was inspired to poison the victim by an episode of “Breaking Bad” in which the main character used ricin derived from castor beans to kill another character. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are looking for an inmate who failed to return to the Fort Des Moines Work Release Facility Thursday. WHO-TV reports 32-year-old Diez Moore didn’t come back after he got off work. Moore is serving a 25-year sentence on convictions for second degree robbery, first degree theft, and assault CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police arrested three men Saturday after a robbery in a Casey’s parking lot. KCRG-TV reports customers say two men robbed them at gunpoint. They say the men took a cell phone, clothing, and shoes from the victims. Police were able to find the suspects car a short time later, and after a foot chase they were apprehended. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Thirty-five-year-old Jamie Parker flew more than 1,000 miles to give her birth mother a hug for the first time. KCCI-TV reports Parker has been messaging her birth mother, Kim Collins, ever since they met on Facebook. Collins thought Saturday was a celebration for her surviving colon cancer, but she soon found out that wasn’t the only thing to celebrate when she opened her eyes. There was her daughter, who she thought she might never see again after giving her up for adoption.

WILLIAMSPORT, PA (IRN) – The Johnston All-Stars, representing Iowa and the Midwest, upset perennial power Chula Vista, California in the opening round of the Little League World Series, 5-1. Iowa plays Kentucky in the winner’s bracket Sunday night. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – One person died in an Ottumwa house fire Thursday, according to the Ottumwa Courier. The house was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived. The dead man has been identified as Richard Hartley. It’s unclear whether he was living in the home and whether anyone else was inside when the fire began. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Cedar Rapids police have arrested a man they say intentionally set an apartment building on fire. KGAN-TV reports 38-year-old Scott Hatchel set a fire just after midnight on Tuesday morning. Flames were limited to an outside canopy and were quickly put out. Hatchel was seen on surveillance footage starting the fire. He’s charged with first-degree arson. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Senior residents at a Des Moines apartment complex are stuck on the upper floors because the building’s elevator has been broken since Aug. 3, and some can’t use the stairs. KCCI-TV reports the Jacobs Place Apartments manager says the elevator could take months until it’s fixed, causing frustration among many elderly residents in the 82 apartments. Residents who can use the stairs are helping others by getting groceries and doing other errands. WAUKON, IA (IRN) – A Waukon woman is painting and selling realistic portraits of farm animals, according to KCRG-TV. When Valerie Miller creates a piece, she meets each animal before painting them. Miller photographs the animal, then takes that back to the studio, where she paints each one. Miller has shipped her paintings to 48 states and several countries.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A man awaiting trial in a Council Bluffs murder has been accused of helping another inmate try to kill himself. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Ben Lein was charged Thursday with assisting suicide. Lein handed a towel to the other inmate, who is on suicide watch. The inmate tore the towel into strips and tried to hang himself. A jailer saw the incident and removed the towel before the inmate could die. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after he was rear-ended by a driver. KWWL-TV reports 47-year-old Todd Mullenax was driving a 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle when 21-year-old Anthony Carter Jr., drove into the back of him on Highway 151. Carter was driving a 2004 Acura, and witnesses say Mullenax had slowed to make a turn. Mullenax was not wearing a helmet. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating a shooting in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. It happened Thursday at the Oakview Terrace apartments. Witnesses heard a succession of gunshots and saw a victim transported to the hospital in an ambulance. 40-year-old Mark Thompson was found with a non-life threatening head wound. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Davenport Police are investigating a stabbing at a park along the Mississippi River yesterday, according to WQAD-TV. The victim was taken to the hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. No arrest has been made. SPENCER, IA (IRN) – Authorities have charged a former Spencer pastor with five counts of sexual exploitation by a counselor. The Sioux City Journal reports Kevin Grimes is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with three clients while providing mental health services to them. Grimes resigned in May as pastor at DaySpring Assembly of God Church. HARLAN, IA (IRN) – A startup company thinks it can turn salmon into a cash crop near Harlan. KETV reports Jackson Kimle and his company, Inland Sea, want to use a system that’s used in Europe to grow the fish. The system uses tanks that move the water to keep the fish swimming like they would in a river. If all goes according to plan, the Harlan facility could produce more than 5 million pounds of salmon every year. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A disabled man from Dubuque has forgiven a thief who stole one of his fundraising jars. Jake Hesselman, who was born without arms and legs, has been raising funds to buy a special car that will allow him to drive. Friends and family have already raised $90,000 of the $100,000 needed. When notified that 27-year-old Richard Bell had been arrested for stealing a donation jar containing $300, Hesselman says with all the generosity he’s seen, there’s no reason to be mad.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The identity of the victim of the 9th homicide this year in Des Moines has been released. KCCI-TV reports 25-year-old Des Moines resident Phillip Gomez died Sunday. 25-year-old Alex Cosmo Marcelino has been charged with first-degree murder. HAMPTON, IA (IRN) – A judge has rejected a motion for a mistrial sought by an Iowa man accused of sex abuse and planning to poison the person he’s accused of abusing. KWWL-TV reports the attorney for Mark Retterath said Wednesday in a Hampton courtroom that one witness mentioned another alleged victim of Retterath, violating a court order. The judge said the mention was so vague it would be difficult to know what the comment meant. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The man convicted in the Drake Diner murders in 1992 has been resentenced. Joseph White Jr. was 17 when he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the two murders. White was resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole on Wednesday, and a request for probation was denied. One of the victim’s sisters says she hopes he “rots in hell.” OXFORD, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man is facing multiple charges after breaking into a home and assaulting two women. 29-year-old Aaron Kahler broke into the home in Oxford Tuesday night and assaulted the two women. The man who owned the home then physically escorted Kahler outside. Seconds later, the homeowner heard a gunshot and his glass door shattered. He then got his own gun, and shot Kahler in the leg after he made a move towards him. Kahler was treated and is now in jail. COLLINS, IA (IRN) – A Maxwell man is behind bars for stealing piggy banks from kids in Collins. WHO-TV reports 36-year-old Nicholas Heaberlin was seen leaving a residence with the piggy banks of two children. Police figure the banks contained $300-$500. Heaberlin is in jail. TIPTON, IA (IRN) – Members of the Tipton Middle School cross-country team have some new running partners, according to KCRG-TV. They’ve paired up with dogs from the local shelter. The goals are team building, training, and exercise for the dogs. They also hope by getting the dogs some attention in the community it will increase their chances for adoption.