Category: State News

DAKOTA CITY, IA (IRN) – A small, experimental helicopter crashed in a rural area near Dakota City Sunday night, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. KCCI-TV reports the gyrocopter suddenly lost altitude and struck a tree before crashing. Dead is pilot Larry Erickson, 58, of Humboldt. Mike Chapman, 65, also of Humboldt was injured.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Coralville man who was previously convicted of transmitting HIV faces 25 years in prison for failing to disclose he has the virus to his sexual partner. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports 34-year-old Adam Musser engaged in sexual activity with the victim in June and July. Musser told the woman he was disease-free and did not need to use protection.

CLIVE, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle rider was seriously injured in a Sunday night crash in Clive, according to KCCI-TV. A minivan driven by Marshall Henderson of Dallas Center was struck in the rear by a motorcycle driven by 27-year-old Dane Jaquinta, of Granger. Witnesses say the motorcycle was moving at a high rate of speed. Jaquinta was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious head injuries.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Falls man was robbed by two men and two women early Monday morning. KWWL-TV reports the victim said they were hit in the head with a golf club during the robbery. The victim was taken to the hospital with head injuries, and the suspects fled on foot.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Good Samaritan has been killed in Sioux City, according to KCAU-TV. Saturday night, an unidentified 52-year-old Sioux City man and his wife stopped to check on a person slumped over the wheel of a truck stopped on the roadway. The driver of the truck woke up and sped away, running over the victim with a trailer the truck was pulling, killing him. The driver, 29-year-old Dustin Suppi of South Sioux City, has been arrested.

MT VERNON, IA (IRN) – A fire destroyed Donmar Lanes, a bowling alley in Mount Vernon Sunday night, according to KWWL-TV. Apartments behind the location were evacuated, but residents have been allowed to return. The roof of the bowling alley is gone.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A Des Moines park was vandalized with spray paint over the weekend. KCCI-TV reports park goers found playground equipment at Ashby Park covered with graffiti Sunday morning. Obscenities were spray painted on the plastic slide and the park’s entrance sign. The park remains open.

CEDAR FALLS, IA (IRN) – A investigation released Friday says that a University of Northern Iowa secretary deposited personal and business checks in lieu of cash donations to apparently collect personal and business tax breaks. The Des Moines Register reports the investigation continues but no charges have been filed against Lori Shannon, a secretary who started working at UNI in 1992.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A 48-year-old Council Bluffs man is behind bars after being charged with five counts of sexual abuse. The Daily Nonpariel reports the charges against Steven Cain stem from eight years of alleged sexual contact with a woman who is now 18 years old, who recently informed authorities. The acts took place while the mother was home, she was aware of them, and witnessed one nearly five years ago.

DALLAS CENTER, IA (IRN) – An investigation is underway after a body was found on the Raccoon River Valley Trail in Dallas County Saturday morning. Raccoon Valley Radio reports the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation and Dallas County Sheriff’s office are investigating a suspicious death. The body was found between Dallas Center and Waukee.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Davenport man has been charged with second degree murder. WQAD-TV reports 28-year-old Justin McGowan has been charged in the death of 28-year-old Gerald Housley on August 2. After a disturbance Housley tried to leave the area and McGowan fired “at least three rounds” from a 9mm handgun.  One bullet hit Housley in the head.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A 29-year-old woman is recovering after being shot Saturday morning in Waterloo. KWWL-TV reports she was in her parked car when it was hit by multiple bullets. Officers located 14 shell casings at the scene. Regina Dollen of Waterloo was by a bullet in her thigh and transported to Covenant Medical Center for surgery. She has non-life threatening injuries.

CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – A 24-year-old man is being held in the Cerro Gordo County jail on sexual abuse charges. KIMT-TV reports Daniel Wigant is facing two counts of lascivious acts with a child and two 2nd degree sexual abuse charges. Charges were filed by the Clear Lake Police Department and Wignat was arrested by Charles City Police on Friday.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Des Moines Police are looking for three men who assaulted a man with autism because of his developmental disability. KCCI-TV reports the man was beaten and robbed outside his apartment complex. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek said, “They actually targeted the victim based on his vulnerabilities and disabilities. It doesn’t get any lower than that.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Marshals Office has arrested a Cedar Rapids couple for trafficking stolen weapons, according to KWWL-TV. 18-year-old Sedrick Mac Johnson Jr. and 20-year-old Denaesha Martin were arrested Thursday. Johnson is also a person of interest in some burglary investigations. They face up to ten years in prison.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A motorcycle driver was injured Friday afternoon in a crash that temporarily shut down traffic on the Dubuque-Wisconsin Bridge. Michael Wells, 60, of Monticello was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque for treatment of head injuries sustained in the wreck. He swerved to avoid a slowing vehicle and lost control. Wells was not wearing a helmet.

CEDAR RAPIDS (IRN) – “Dozens and dozens” of cats were taken from a mobile home Friday in Cedar Rapids and transferred to an animal shelter for treatment after their owner voluntarily surrendered them. The Cedar Rapids Gazette says the shelter will be closed this weekend as workers evaluate the cats. They will be kept separate from other shelter animals for now.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Most of Iowa’s state owned beaches don’t have lifeguards on duty, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. KCRG-TV reports one of those beaches is at Lake Macbride State Park, where a 6-year-old girl drowned Thursday. Officials say it’s difficult to find and train lifeguards, and funding isn’t available. Lifeguards also create a false sense of safety so parents simply drop their kids off at a beach.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The crew of a 757 jet requested an emergency landing in Des Moines Friday morning after the windshield on the aircraft cracked in-flight, according to KCCI-TV. The plane was able to land safely. Nine people were aboard.

DES MOINES (IRN) – The first case of the West Nile virus in Iowa this year has been identified. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports the case involves a woman from Ringgold County in southern Iowa who is recovering. The virus is spread by mosquitoes, and Iowa’s peak year was 2003, when the virus sickened 141 Iowans and killed six.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque man faces a felony charge of sexually abusing a 5-year-old boy. The Dubuque Tribune Herald reports CJay Brokus, 23, was charged with second-degree sexual abuse. Police spoke with the mother of the child, who said her son told her Brokus had sexual contact with him in April and May. Brokus has admitted his guilt.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – The Sioux City metropolitan area has been identified as having the largest personal income growth in the country, according to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. KTIV-TV reports $7.7-billion of income was generated in Sioux City’s metro area in 2013. That was up nearly 5% from the year before — the biggest growth of anywhere in the country.

NEW SHARON, IA (IRN) – Three juveniles died in a Thursday afternoon crash near New Sharon. The Iowa State Patrol reports that 16-year-old Jamie Singletary, 13-year-old Carson Singletary, and 10-year-old Christian Singletary, all of New Sharon, were killed in a two-car collision. The other vehicle was driven by Shawn Schippers, also of New Sharon, who survived.

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A 6-year-old girl drowned Thursday afternoon at Lake Macbride in Johnson County. KGAN-TV reports officials received a report of a child missing from a daycare group. 15 minutes later, they got a call saying a group of teens pulled the girl from the water. Emergency crews transported the girl to the University of Iowa Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A road rage incident turned bloody in Ankeny when a man allegedly punched a woman in the face Wednesday. WHO-TV reports Lisa Teska says a man driving an SUV pulled out of the Ankeny High School staff parking lot and nearly sideswiped her. Teska threw a coin at the SUV, and the man threw coins back at her vehicle. Further down the road, Teska says the man got out of his SUV and punched her in the face. Police are investigating.

RICEVILLE, IA (IRN) – A former North Iowa teacher has pled not guilty to federal child pornography charges, according to the Mason City Globe Gazette. Adam Haacke, 26, Riceville, has been charged with one count of receiving child pornography and two counts of possessing child pornography. Rice taught vocal music. He had recently announced plans to leave teaching to compose music for professional wrestlers.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has closed two beaches at Saylorville Lake near Johnston due to a blue-green algae bloom that could be harmful to people and pets. The algae can cause skin reactions, gastrointestinal pain, breathing problems or liver damage.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man was arrested Thursday morning for drunken driving — but not before taking a Snapchat selfie with the arresting officer. The Iowa City Press Citizen reports Gilbert Phelps, 20, was pulled over for speeding just after 2 a.m. Phelps admitted that he had been smoking marijuana. While being tested, Phelps requested a Snapchat selfie with the officer. The officer obliged, and Phelps captioned the photo using a police car, a passenger car, and a tow truck emoji.

WHITTEMORE, IA (IRN) – Authorities are investigating the shooting of a crop-dusting plane in northern Iowa. According to KCCI-TV, a plane owned by Steier AG Aviation was hit in a wing flap while spraying a field. The pilot landed safely. Property belonging to a suspect in the shooting has been searched and items have been seized. No arrest has been reported.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – Iowa’s farm real estate value is down, according to the USDA. Total farm real estate value including buildings averaged $8,000 per acre in 2015, down $500 from last year. Cropland value decreased to $8,200 per acre, while pastureland, at $3,400 per acre, was unchanged from a year ago. Low grain prices weakened cropland values while record high beef prices supported pastureland values.

COUNCIL BLUFFS (IRN) – About 50,000 pounds of split peas covered part of Interstate 29 in western Iowa after a semi truck overturned Wednesday. The Daily Nonpariel reports Bradley Zirott, 56, of Sparta, Wisconsin, lost control and rolled the semi scattering peas across the roadway. A medical issue was likely involved. The southbound lane was closed for almost two hours as crews cleaned up the peas.

INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – A jury has awarded nearly $12 million to an Indianola woman who says her former co-workers at a toy company subjected her to graphic sexual comments and other harassment.  KCCI-TV reports Danielle Rennenger is a former employee of ToyQuest in Indianola, a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-based corporation. Rennenger says she feels validated.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The U.S. Federal Court for the Southern District of Iowa has sentenced a Davenport man to seven years in prison after he pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Keelyn Stokes, 21, was seen by Davenport police throwing a gun to the ground as he and several others exited and ran from a stolen vehicle. He had a previous felony conviction.

ALTA, IA (IRN) – The arrest of a Wall Lake woman could help solve a series of car burglaries and thefts across Iowa and Nebraska. KMEG-TV reports 19-year-old Alexandra Pratt was arrested after a traffic stop Tuesday morning in Alta. Police determined the car she was a passenger in was stolen and contained numerous stolen items.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Republican Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen said Wednesday he will step down from his leadership post at the start of the 2016 legislative session and will not seek re-election in his Linn County district next year. Paulsen, 50, has served as House Speaker since 2011. He was first elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2002.