Iowa Radio News

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – Dubuque Police responded to an armed robbery of Dunkin Donuts in Dubuque this morning, with the suspect taken into custody later in Maquoketa. The robbery took place on “National Coffee Day.” CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa State Patrol Trooper pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law. Robert James Smith, 58, stopped a motorcyclist for speeding on Interstate 80 in 2017. The motorcyclist pulled over in Cedar County, got off the motorcycle and raised his hands. Smith then walked over to the motorcyclist and slapped him, which caused him to fall back over the motorcycle. Smith then knelt and handcuffed him. Dash-cam video shows the incident. FORT DODGE, IA (IRN) – A 13-year-old Fort Dodge student has been charged after police said he made a threat involving a weapon on campus. The incident triggered a lockdown at Fort Middle School on Wednesday. Police quickly determined that there was no safety threat and said the boy was taken into custody. Classes were dismissed, and all after-school activities were canceled. The teenager was charged with threat of terrorism and first-degree harassment. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – An Ankeny woman is facing charges after police say she wrote checks to herself from the account of her ex-husband, who doctors had deemed unable to make decisions on financial matters or maintain his own basic needs. Karen Jordan, 62, is charged with two counts of dependent adult abuse-exploitation for allegedly writing two $1,000 checks from her ex-husband’s account and cashing them. FONDA, IA (IRN) – Three bulls remain on the loose more than three weeks after they broke free at the end of a rodeo in the Pocahontas County town of Fonda. A total of five bulls originally escaped over the Labor Day weekend, but two have since been caught.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison following his plea to meth charges that resulted in a man’s death. 50-year-old Eric Jonathan Hojka was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute at least 50 grams of meth, or distributing a mixture of substances that contained methamphetamine – resulting in death. First responders arrived to Hojka’s Iowa City apartment over a report of an unconscious man. Paramedics failed to revive the man, pronouncing him dead at the scene. WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – An Iowa man who admitted to taking part in the assault of a police officer as part of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to seven years in prison Tuesday. Young cried as he apologized to D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and said he wished he could take back his actions of that day. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A federal judge in Iowa has struck down the third attempt in recent years by the Iowa Legislature to stop animal welfare groups from secretly filming livestock abuse, finding once again that the law passed last year violates free speech rights in the U.S. Constitution. ADEL, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines woman faces charges after someone fell off the roof of her car while she was speeding down the street. It happened over the weekend in Adel. Jessica Versteegh is charged with serious injury by vehicle and driving while barred. The woman who fell suffered a fractured skull and a possible brain bleed. More charges may be filed. DES MOINES, Iowa – The Des Moines Public School District is adding girls wrestling to its roster of sports and has hired the program’s first head coach for the district-wide team. DMPS announced the addition of girls wrestling Tuesday along with the hiring of coach Samantha Bush.

TAMA, IA (IRN) – A morning crash just on Highway 30 left two people injured Monday. The Iowa State Patrol says tractor driver John Perkins hit a pickup truck, which was disabled in the right lane, causing it to jackknife and catch fire. Kofi Adu-Sarkodi was standing outside the pickup truck and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Both Adu-Sarkodi and Perkins were sent to local hospitals. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City man faces harassment charges in a revenge porn case. Police said Christopher Hackett sent nude photos of his ex-girlfriend to her new boyfriend. Hackett broke up with her earlier this year. Hackett admitted to sending the pictures. He told officers “I just did because I was dumb.” JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – The Johnston School Board Monday evening expelled a middle school student who brought a gun to school in early September. The decision to expel the student was unanimous. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Officers Daniel Boesen and Ivan Rossi have been awarded the Iowa City Police Department’s ‘Life-Saving Commendation. On August 14th the two officers responded to a stabbing call in Iowa City. With a potentially dangerous and chaotic scene, an ambulance was required to stage outside of the immediate vicinity, leaving Boesen and Rossi to assess the scene. Boesen and Rossi quickly found the victim, who was suffering from a deep cut to the arm caused by a machete attack. They applied a tourniquet and carried the victim to the ambulance where he was rushed to the hospital for surgery. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – After more than 3,000 votes, Blank Park Zoo’s recently born giraffe now has a name. Voters chose the name Bakari. Anne Shimerdla, president and CEO of Blank Park Zoo, says “Bakari means hopeful and promising, and we hope that Bakari will inspire action to save giraffes from the ‘silent extinction’ they are currently experiencing.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines’ largest private employer has announced another round of layoffs. Wells Fargo has announced that it laid off 36 workers this week. This marks the 10th round of cuts and more than 400 layoffs since April. Earlier this month, the company notified 75 workers at offices in Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines and West Des Moines that they’ll be laid off at the end of next month. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man has been arrested and charged with over 80 counts of sexual abuse with some of those charges being sexual abuse against a minor. Joshua Saul Gil, 44, was arrested by the Des Moines Police Department for sexual abuse and interference with official acts on Thursday. Gil possessed video of himself abusing the victim multiple times. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department is investigating an armed robbery at a Git n’ Go gas station on the city’s southeast side Friday night. The robber fled on foot and hasn’t been apprehended. MARION, IA (IRN) – The Marion Police Department responded to three incidents at Friday night’s football game at Linn-Mar High School. Two of the incidents involved reports of concealed weapons. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A new television and radio ad released by Governor Reynolds is drawing accusations of racism, of misreprenting the border crisis, and praising her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic when over 10,000 Iowans died.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Iowan who was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, was found guilty on all seven criminal counts Friday. Douglas Jensen will be sentenced on December 16. More than 870 people have been charged with federal crimes for their conduct on Jan. 6. Approximately 400 of them have pleaded guilty. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The Cedar Rapids Police Department responded to a report of a weapons incident on Friday morning. Police found a woman reporting she had been held against her will by a man in a nearby apartment. She said the suspect displayed a knife and sexually assaulted her. OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – The Osceola Water Board has asked customers to voluntarily reduce water usage, as the city’s water source at West Lake is dropping and there are concerns about water quality deeper in the lake. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A recent op-ed by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union says “enough is enough” when it comes to bad behavior at games. They say there’s been a trend of bad behavior from players, coaches, parents, and fans that is directed toward officials across the nation. Findings from the National Association of Sports Officials report 46% of officials say they feared for their safety due to players, coaches, or spectators and 55% say verbal abuse is the number one reason they quit.