Iowa Radio News

DEWITT, IA (IRN) – Police are investigating the death of an elderly man killed when a train struck his car in the Clinton County town of DeWitt. KWQC-TV reports 86-year-old Harvey Witt’s 1986 Ford Tempo stalled on the tracks at a Union Pacific crossing around 10:30 p.m. Police say they do not know why Witt didn’t exit the vehicle as the train was approaching. NORTH LIBERTY, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges after leading authorities on a pursuit that reached 151 miles per hour. KGAN-TV reports 31-year-old Jordan Fetter cut in front of an trooper going 90 mph on a motorcycle near the I-80/I-380 interchange Monday. The trooper then activated his lights, and Fetter accelerated to 151 mph. Fetter was eventually stopped, but had to be shot with a stun gun to be apprehended. He was found with a loaded 9mm pistol, brass knuckles, a tin box with a green leafy substance, syringes and a baggie of white powder. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines family is mourning the loss of their 18-day-old baby girl, after she came in contact with someone with a cold sore. KCCI-TV reports Mariana Sifrit died Tuesday at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after being hospitalized for 10 days. The virus attacked Mariana’s blood, bone marrow, kidneys, liver, and brain. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City man has pled guilty to having sex with an incapacitated woman. KCRG-TV reports 26-year-old Nathan Schloss sexually abused the woman multiple times and recorded it. Authorities say there could be multiple other victims. Police discovered the videos after Schloss turned in a hard drive to show them a video of his former roommate torturing a cat. The roommate received probation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A former Iowa Senate Republican caucus staffer who accused supervisors of ignoring a “boy’s club” culture that fostered rampant sexual harassment was awarded $2.2 million Tuesday by a Polk County jury. The Des Moines Register reports former communications director Kirsten Anderson was fired in May of 2012, seven hours after handing in a memo detailing her concerns about a toxic work environment in the Republican caucus office. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – West Des Moines firefighters made a series of unusual rescues yesterday. WHO-TV reports a passerby noticed flames coming from the rear of a home and knocked on the door, but no one answered. Firefighters arrived and were able to save three dogs and two birds as well as put out the fire. The homeowners returned while firefighters were still on scene, and when they found out all the animals were safe, one of the homeowners collapsed in tears of joy.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Dubuque woman accused of killing her former husband has been found competent to stand trial. KCCI-TV reports on Monday a judge set a trial starting date of Nov. 28 for Dolores Flynn, who prosecutors say used a baseball bat to beat 72-year-old Gary Breckenridge to death in January 2016. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Police in Cedar Rapids have arrested a man they say was shot during an attempted burglary last month. KGAN-TV reports police were called to a report of a shooting that left two men injured. A man told police that the other man entered his home and threatened him with a handgun. The homeowner managed to wrestle the gun away from the man and shot at him multiple times. Both men suffered gunshot wounds. The homeowner faces no charges, and the other man is in jail. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines police officer was injured while making an arrest Monday. WHO-TV reports police were called to a domestic dispute, and the male bit the officer when he tried to arrest him. WEST UNION, IA (IRN) – A West Union man has died after colliding with a West Union police cruiser Monday. The Iowa State Patrol says 23-year-old Bryson Hennigar was driving his police cruiser in emergency status when 83-year-old Willys Fritz pulled his pickup truck out of a parking lot and failed to yield, pulling into the path of the cruiser. Fritz died from his injuries. Hennigar was treated and released at a hospital. NEVADA, IA (IRN) – Police are searching for two men who rammed a truck into a Newton convenience store. KCCI-TV reports surveillance video shows clerk Julie Burr standing nearby as the truck slams into the store — shattering glass and throwing food everywhere. The video shows the passenger of the truck exit, wearing a mask like in the movie “Scream.” Burr says, “When I saw the guy try to come in the door, I told myself this ain’t worth my life, and that’s when I hit the panic button alarm.” Hearing the alarm, the men fled. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs couple are showing support for first responders in an unusual way. KETV reports the couple are spending $350,000 have four bronze statues created and placed on the plaza. The plan is to depict a police officer and his K-9, a fire fighter saving a child, a deputy sheriff, and an Iowa state trooper. Inspiration came after the killing of Officer Kerry Orozco in a jail break.

MESERVEY, IA (IRN) – A northern Iowa man has been convicted of kidnapping and torturing his girlfriend. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 41-year-old Charles Raymond Albright, of Meservey, was convicted Friday of two felonies related to the kidnapping. Albright held a 36-year-old woman captive for 12 to 14 hours on Oct. 7 in Meservey, where she was punched, slammed against a floor, shocked with a stun gun and bitten by a dog. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Three shootings yesterday in Cedar Rapids are believed to be related. In the first shooting, shots were fired at a house. The second shooting was about an hour later, and several juveniles were involved. A 16-year old male had non-life threatening gunshot wounds to his upper body. The third shooting was two hours later at the same location of the first shooting. No one was hurt. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Dangerously hot temperatures are predicted over the next week, and the worst is yet to come. Highs will near 90 degrees today, and temperatures will climb throughout the week, with highs in the upper 90s by midweek. The National Weather Service says heat index values should range from 100-105 degrees; possibly upward of 110 degrees. BOONE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A crash in Boone County injured multiple people Saturday, including several children on a school bus. KCCI-TV reports the bus driver failed to yield to the right and struck a car. The bus driver, seven children and the driver of the other car were hurt. Those involved suffered mostly cuts, concussions and other non-life threatening injuries. TAMA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – One person died and two others were injured in a car crash in Tama County Saturday. The Iowa State Patrol says a Chevrolet was travelling northbound when it entered a bridge construction zone in which the road was reduced to one lane. A Cadillac was travelling the opposite direction and they collided head-on. WAPELLO, IA (IRN) – For more than ten years Robert Lanz’s classic Chevy Camaro sat in his garage collecting dust, after a farm accident left the Wapello man partially paralyzed. WQAD-TV reports despite his wife’s urging, he wouldn’t sell the car. When Shawn Maine of Midwest Rod and Restoration learned about the car, he offered to restore it for free. Friends and family gathered to surprise Lanz with his newly restored Camaro he’d had since high school. Lanz was overjoyed when he saw the restored car, and hopes one day he will be able to drive it.

POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Police arrested a man that caused a fatal crash Friday night in rural Polk County. 26-year-old Taylor Linse of Bondurant, was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, second offense, homicide by vehicle, driving while license revoked and a probation violation. Linse crossed the centerline and struck a motorcyclist. The motorcyclist died. CANTRIL, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol says one person has died as a result of a Friday afternoon crash near Cantril in Buchanan County. The 26-year-old female driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were injured. The woman veered onto the gravel shoulder of the road, overcorrected, and then rolled. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A deadly jail escape has prompted officials in Pottawattamie County to consider spending up to $200,000 to install body scanners that would be used on inmates when they enter the jail. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the scanners would be used to find contraband inmates try to smuggle into the jail. A May 1 attempt escape at the jail that resulted in the death of a deputy has led to the push for more security. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa drivers rank among some of the nation’s rudest, according to a new survey from a nonprofit organization that evaluates courtesy among drivers across America. Kars4kids.org gave Iowa a “D” grade and ranked us 41st overall on the list. Iowa also got an “F” grade when it comes to letting cars merge in front of you and the use of turn signals. The organization also said that Iowans are not nice to slow drivers.

IOWA COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man who recently arrived in Iowa County for work has been found alive after days of searching, according to KGAN-TV. 63-year-old Pedro Macias, of Texas, arrived in Iowa County on Monday for a new job, but was last seen on July 10 near Millersburg. He was found in a field near his last known location. He was flown to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to be treated for dehydration. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Two men were injured in a Friday afternoon shooting in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports officers were called to a report of two men with gunshot wounds. The men were taken to the hospital. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A dog was tased after a woman’s dog and a biker were attacked yesterday morning in Mason City. KIMT-TV reports a woman called police to say her dog was being attacked by two dogs. Police had to use a taser to get one of the attacking dogs off her dog. The attacking dogs were impounded. The dog that was attacked and the biker will be OK. BONDURANT, IA (IRN) – A horse barn at Clark Family Stables in Bondurant went up in flames yesterday, according to WHO-TV. An instructor was teaching kids how to saddle horses at the time the fire began. All of the children and horses made it out okay. Owner Daniel Clark says, “it was just gut-wrenching to see that the farm we loved so much was fully engulfed in flames … it’s hard to put into words. It kinda makes you sick … just to think about it.” WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A West Des Moines man received what many would consider a once-in-a-lifetime birthday celebration, according to KCCI-TV. Kenneth Clegg, who turned 99 this week, is a World War II vet who learned to fly after the war in a 1946 Aeronca Champion. Clegg’s son Tom, treated his father to a birthday flight in the same model plane, where Clegg got to take control of the plane during the flight. Clegg’s wife, Norma, said “it was great–he didn’t look like he was 99.”