Category: State News

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Police have arrested a “young Bonnie and Clyde” suspected of going on a non-violent crime spree across ten states, according to KWQC-TV. The two juveniles are believed to be behind a string of car and garage burglaries in Bettendorf. Police say the couple had gone on a ten-state crime odyssey, shoplifting and committing burglaries along the way to sustain themselves. Police have so far logged 85 stolen items from multiple states that the two had in their possession.

DOW CITY, IA (IRN) – A teenager died in a boating accident while fishing on a pond Sunday afternoon, according to KETV. Dive teams spent hours recovering the 18-year-old’s body near Dow City, about an hour northeast of Omaha. The three teenagers were fishing on the pond when their boat overturned, throwing all three into the water. Two of the teens attempted to help the third but were unsuccessful.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating why a man careened off the road and landed his car in the fountain pond at the Catfish Bend Casino in Burlington early Sunday Morning. KBUR-radio reports that 25-year-old Jerome Strong’s vehicle left the road and wound up in the pond around 2:00 am. The pond was shallow, and police say that despite the worries of bystanders, neither Strong, nor his passenger, were in any real danger of drowning.

SERGEANT BLUFF, IA (IRN) – One worker died and another was hospitalized while working to build a massive fertilizer plant in northwest Iowa. The Sioux City Journal reports the two men were working inside a tower tank Saturday when the problem occurred at the CF Industries construction site near Sergeant Bluff. The man who died fell unconscious inside the tank and couldn’t be rescued before his death. The second man escaped the tank, and was hospitalized.

OELWEIN, IA (IRN) – The Country Cottage Cafe in Oelwein is closed after a driver crashed into the building Sunday, according to KWWL-TV. A male driver was pulling up to the cafe to park when he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. Three people in the restaurant were injured and taken to the hospital. The driver was uninjured.

DENVER, CO (IRN) – The Cyclones are heading to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in school history. Iowa State will face Virginia on Friday. The Hawkeyes and Panthers both lost on Sunday.

BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – The Special Olympics Midwest Magic matched-up against the Burlington police department for a basketball game fundraiser. WQAD-TV reports the basketball game started three years ago as a way to build relationships among Burlington police and the athletes on the Midwest Magic. The event was so popular in its first year, organizers decided to make it a fundraiser. On Saturday, over 1,000 community members packed the gym.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids teenager died in a shooting Friday in Cedar Rapids, according to KCRG-TV. When police arrived on scene, they found 15-year-old Senquez Jackson inside the home with a gunshot wound. Jackson was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead on Saturday evening.

BUFFALO, IA (IRN) – A Muscatine County man suspected of burglary assaulted a sheriff’s deputy and then took off in a transport vehicle Friday. WQAD-TV reports 38-year-old Barry Bennett was arrested for robbery. Bennett was being taken to jail but was able to able to escape by breaking the rear window. Bennett assaulted the officer in the front seat, took the vehicle’s keys and led officers on a pursuit that ended in rural Muscatine County. He faces multiple charges, and is in jail. The deputy is OK.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in Des Moines say a man is recovering from a gunshot wound he received Saturday morning. WHO-TV reports the man told police he was walking home when he was shot in the leg. The victim walked to a nearby home for help and was taken to Mercy Medical Center.

DENVER, IA (IRN) – Georges Niang scored 28 points in a 78-61 win over Little Rock in the second round of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Cyclones advanced to their second Sweet 16 in three years. They will play the Virginia-Butler winner in Chicago next weekend. The UNI Panthers and Iowa Hawkeyes play today.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A plane with 192 people on board made a safe landing Friday morning at the Des Moines International Airport after an odor was reported in the cockpit. WHO-TV reports the issue was resolved while the plane was still in the air but as a precaution, the plane was still diverted to Des Moines. American Airlines called the odor a “mechanical issue.”

CLINTON, IA (IRN) – A body found in the Mississippi River near Clinton on Thursday has been confirmed to be that of missing 36-year-old Joshua Snyder. WQAD-TV reports Snyder went missing in January when he left home to walk to his brother’s house a few blocks away. The family believed he was in danger because he hadn’t taken medicine he needs to control his seizures. The case is under investigation.

FORT WORTH, IA (IRN) – A Fort Worth, Texas, police officer with Iowa ties is in critical condition Friday after he was shot seven times while chasing an assault suspect and his son. KCCI-TV reports Officer Matt Pearce was rushed by helicopter to a nearby hospital and has undergone several surgeries. Family who live in Polk City say Pearce is a loving husband, proud father of two girls and is a dedicated officer who’s served on the Fort Worth police force since 2009.

TIFFIN, IA (IRN) – Johnson County authorities have accused a Tiffin man of trying to have the county jail pay his cable and phone bill, according to KCRG-TV. 33-year-old Lorenzo Johnson was released from the jail in late December and received a check for the balance on his commissary account. Johnson allegedly used the bank and routing numbers on that check to pay his $350 cable and phone bill. Johnson faces one count of identity theft.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (IRN) – Northern Iowa is the third men’s college basketball team in the state of Iowa to advance past the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament, according to WHO-TV. In a stunning ending, Panther Paul Jesperson hit a game-winning half-court bank shot at the buzzer to beat Texas and send Northern Iowa to the second round. UNI now takes on Texas A&M Sunday, while the Hawkeyes play Villanova, also on Sunday, and the Cyclones play the University of Arkansas at Little Rock today.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A motorcyclist’s leg was amputated during a crash Thursday in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. The crash was reported near the Iowa State Fairgrounds. 33-year-old Mathew Brooks rear-ended a car with his motorcycle. The crash was so intense it broke the car’s rear axle and Brooks lost one of his legs. Police said alcohol was a factor. The driver of the car, 24-year-old Maria Ly of Pleasant Hill, was arrested and charged with OWI. Brooks is also expected to be charged.

DUNKERTON, IA (IRN) – A former Dunkerton High School student is appealing his conviction for having a gun on school grounds to the Iowa Supreme Court. KCRG-TV reports in March 2014, a judge convicted Mar’yo Lindsey of having a gun on school grounds, possessing a firearm as a felon, going armed with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a controlled substance. Lindsey contends after he was injured in a football game and sent to the hospital, school officials conducted an illegal search of his bag.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police are investigating a report of gunshots fired near a military recruitment office Thursday night. WHO-TV reports police were called to the Fort Des Moines Marine Corps Office around 8:00 p.m. A soldier leaving the building reported hearing shots fired. Police say no arrests have been made yet in the case, but a possible suspect has been identified.

HINTON, IA (IRN) – Two people were seriously injured Thursday in a northwest Iowa grain elevator explosion. The Sioux City Journal reports the explosion occurred at Central Valley Ag in Hinton. Two people were taken to a Sioux City hospital in serious condition. Authorities have not identified the victims, and the cause of the explosion hasn’t been determined.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa State University student fell out a third-story window while she was sleeping early Thursday, according to WHO-TV. Someone called police after hearing the woman call for help outside the building at 3:00 a.m. The woman has an elevated bed next to her bedroom window and was sleeping with her window open when she apparently rolled out. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be involved. Her condition has not been released.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo firefighters say discarded smoking materials caused a garage to catch on fire early this morning. KWWL-TV reports smoking materials were left in a trash can outside the garage but once they started smoldering, the fire spread to the garage. No one was hurt.

AMES, IA (IRN) – An Ames family got a free meal and a life lesson after a stranger paid for their meal. KCCI-TV reports Amy Forbes took her daughters to El Azteca Mexican Restaurant for their first time this week. Instead of a check, Forbes received an anonymous note saying their meal had been paid for in memory of a girl who passed away from cancer.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 7-year-old girl wearing only her underwear knocked on her neighbor’s apartment door at 2:10 a.m. Tuesday to report she couldn’t find her mother. KCCI-TV reports the girl told the neighbor that her mother, 34-year-old Melissa Moon, had been gone for a long time and had left with her boyfriend. Police had been at the same apartment earlier in the night on a report of a domestic fight between the mother and boyfriend. Moon told police she had been with her boyfriend who she said tried to crash her car and had flattened two of her tires. Moon was arrested and charged with child endangerment.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 30-year-old man is suspected of killing his mother and grandmother at the home they shared in Council Bluffs. KCCI-TV reports officers arrested Michael Dieckmann Wednesday. Dieckmann is in jail on two counts of murder. He’s accused of killing 63-year-old Jacqueline Dieckmann, and her mother, 91-year-old Illa Pfeiffer. One of the women was stabbed but the cause of the other’s death awaits more investigation.

HENRY COUNTY, IA (IRN) Eight search warrants led to three arrests and the seizure of approximately five pounds of methamphetamine and more than $125,000 in cash in rural Henry County early Wednesday. KCII-Radio reports 50-year-old Kevin Wood of New London, 55-year-old John Knapp of rural Danville, 53-year-old Renee Drew of rural Danville and 55-year-old Tamie Stephenson of Fairfield face multiple drug charges. At least 13 different law enforcement agencies assisted with the arrests.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A man has been arrested in relation to a homicide in Council Bluffs earlier this month, according to KETV. 30-year-old Markis Moses Davis was taken into custody Wednesday. Davis was booked on charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and robbery. Two people had already been arrested on charges related to the homicide, which left Anthony Walker dead of a gunshot wound in a Council Bluffs apartment.

MT. VERNON, IA (IRN) – A $10,000 reward is being offered for information about a fire that destroyed Don Mar Lanes, a Mount Vernon bowling alley last year, according to KWWL-TV. The state Fire Marshal announced the reward for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire. More than 100 firefighters from 16 different departments fought the blaze. The State Fire Marshal says the fire is suspicious and was likely set on purpose.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A fire at Verena Street Coffee Company in Dubuque County caused $40,000 worth of damage on Wednesday. Sherrill and Asbury fire departments responded to the fire, which was contained to a bean coasting cooling tray where it had originated from. No one was injured.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – When a popular waitress at a Zombie Burger in Des Moines closed out one of her table’s Tuesday night she found a note from a patron. WHO-TV reports on a tab worth $17.26, the tip line was crossed out. “Tips are only for normal looking people,” the patron wrote. Waitress Taelor Beeck describes herself as an individual, and that she dresses and expresses herself artistically. Zombie Burger released a statement that says Zombie Burger is a unique place, and that they are 100% in support of their staff expressing themselves.