Iowa Radio News

SCHLESWIG, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened Wednesday in Schleswig. At 6:20 p.m. deputies went to an apartment complex for a welfare check. A male subject pointed a long gun at deputies and threatened to shoot. A standoff ensued. At 11:45 p.m., the man fired one round in the direction of officers, a deputy returned fire and struck him. The subject was life-flighted with non-life threatening injuries. The name of the subject has not been released. CLAYTON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Clayton County Sheriff’s Office is looking for some stolen guns and the person who stole them from the Mar-Mac Unified Police Department in Marquette, according to KCRG-TV. Police say last month flood water got inside the building so they were moving things around. Investigators say it was during that time that someone stole the guns. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A 12-year-old boy is in critical condition with a head injury after he was assaulted Tuesday in Davenport. WQAD-TV reports the child was found near Monroe Elementary School. Police arrested three 15-year-old boys who have been charged with willful injury with serious injury and going armed with intent. Police said the teens were armed with bricks and a hammer. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines man was charged Wednesday with felony child endangerment for allegedly whipping his son with a belt about 15 times. KCCI-TV reports the boy’s mother reported the incident. She told police she was scared 34-year-old Jeremy Polson was going to seriously injure the boy. Polson found out his son got in trouble at middle school, told him to go to his room, and then struck him repeatedly with the belt. The boy suffered bruises on his buttocks, left side and thigh. MARION, IA (IRN) – Marion police a looking for a registered sex offender who stabbed a man in Marion Wednesday morning, according to KWWL-TV. Police believe 42-year-old Sean Hemphill did it, but when they arrived he was already gone. Because the stabbing occurred within a few blocks from Marion schools, the district went on a lockdown as a precaution. The man’s injuries were not life-threatening. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Distracted walking is increasingly a problem in Iowa City, according to David Ricketts, Director of Parking and Transportation at the University of Iowa. KCRG-TV reports an increasing number of people are walking while using their cell phones. Tyler Paintin, who makes and sells bracelets at a street corner near campus, estimates that he sees nearly three people per hour narrowly miss being hit by a car or bus. Nationally, pedestrian deaths surged by 10 percent last year.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The governor’s $4.7 billion proposal to improve Iowa’s water quality over three decades would generate $691 million in economic activity and create 2,800 jobs annually, according to an Iowa State University report released Tuesday. Gov. Terry Branstad proposes extending a tax that supports Iowa school facilities and diverting part of the tax revenue growth to efforts to cut the amount of nutrients entering Iowa waters. Critics say the governor’s plan fails to hold agriculture accountable for nutrient runoff and passes the bill to the taxpayer. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Mason City is on its way to getting a hog-processing operation that’s expected to employ up to 2,000 workers in its first two years. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that an out-of-state company intends to build the hog-processing facility and to hire 900 to 2,000 workers. The company says it will build an environmentally friendly building that will enhance the neighborhood. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo family has lost two loved ones in the past decade to accidental shootings. KWWL-TV reports the family is shocked that it happened given that they all grew up around guns, and were taught to assume guns are always loaded. Last month 27-year-old Eric Tusing was joking with friends about playing Russian Roulette. He shot himself not knowing the gun was loaded. Eric’s brother Tristan died in 2007 when a gun fell to the ground and shot him in the back. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A trooper with the Iowa State Patrol has resigned after being arrested following a drunken, late-night disturbance in which the former college football player repeatedly pounded on a female neighbor’s door. KCRG-TV reports after his arrest Patrick Steinbach received special treatment at the Iowa County Jail, where the booking officer did not take his mug shot or require him to wear a jumpsuit. The booking officer lost his job too. WINTERSET, IA (IRN) – An Iowa sheriff is sounding the alarm on mental health, saying there are people who are in desperate need of help that are not getting it, according to WHO-TV. Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes says it’s the No. 1 problem he faces in the county — more than drunk driving or other crimes. Barnes says “We’ve had people in our jail that needed mental health help. They don’t belong in a jail. But there’s no other place for them.” DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Craig Vance had a heart attack at the State Capitol three weeks ago, according to KCCI-TV. During the heart attack he lost consciousness and hit the floor. Vance is on his feet today — thanks in part to a stranger who performed CPR prior to medics arriving. Vance says he’s lucky the heart attack happened in a public place, as otherwise he would be dead. He’s recovering from open heart surgery and hopes to soon meet the man or woman who saved his life.

WEBSTER CITY, IA (IRN) – A 6-year-old boy has died after the bicycle he was riding collided with a motorcycle in Webster City Sunday. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports Jason Nolasco died in a Des Moines hospital after he was airlifted from Webster City. The accident happened when the child unexpectedly rode out in front of the motorcycle. The unidentified driver of the motorcycle was hospitalized. COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – Council Bluffs police were called to Interstate 80 for a rollover accident Monday evening. KETV reports officers made contact with a 21-year-old driver, who is six months pregnant. She said she was driving her intoxicated boyfriend, 21-year-old Brandon Griffeth-Mount, home. The woman said they were arguing when Griffeth-Mount grabbed the steering wheel, causing her to veer off the road to the right and slide sideways, rolling into the ditch. Griffeth-Mount was charged with aggravated domestic abuse and child endangerment. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A man was shot by a police officer during a six-hour standoff at a residence in Sioux City, according to KWWL-TV. Police say a 43-year-old man fired a gun inside his home, where his ex-wife was present. Officers tried to talk the man out of the home before a SWAT team arrived. The man was ordered to drop the gun, but he advanced on SWAT officers and was shot by a Sioux City police officer. The woman was not injured. The man was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. WEST UNION, IA (IRN) – An overturned semi loaded with milk containers shut down Highway 18 in Fayette County for about three hours Tuesday morning. KCRG-TV reports 29-year-old Charlie Craver of Amarillo, Texas lost control of the semi and crashed just after 2 a.m. Deputies said gallons of milk spilled into the ditch. Craver was treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released. The semi and trailer are a total loss. INDIANOLA, IA (IRN) – A fatal car crash has been reported on Highway 65/69 north of Indianola this morning. KCCI-TV reports the crash occurred between a semi and a truck. The semi driver was waiting in the median to make a U-turn onto the southbound lane when the truck crashed into the semi from behind. The fatality occurred in the truck, and the name of the deceased hasn’t been released. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University Police are investigating a sexual assault that occurred on campus Sunday morning, according to WHO-TV. The victim reported that two white males approached her while she was resting in a lounge at Friley Hall. The men physically and sexually assaulted her. The victim didn’t know her assailants, and it’s unknown if they are students. INDEPENDENCE, IA (IRN) – A man suffered serious injuries in a grass fire northwest of Independence on Monday. KCRG-TV reports first responders took 78-year-old Norman McMurrin to a nearby hospital before they air-lifted him to University of Iowa Hospitals with life-threatening injuries. Firefighters put out the spreading grass fire a short time later. BENTONVILLE, AK (IRN) – Walmart employees are going to get a pay raise Thursday. WQAD-TV reports more than 15,000 workers in Iowa and 1.2 million across the country will now receive at least $10 an hour after completing training. All employees currently earning more than $10 an hour will receive their annual raise Thursday as well.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines dispatchers reported an attempted bank robbery in Des Moines just after 10 a.m., according to KCCI-TV. Police were called to the Central Bank on University. Dispatchers said two suspects in hoodies were seen covering their faces behind the bank. Nearby apartment residents contacted police, who quickly arrived at the bank. The suspects then fled the scene. Officers were looking for a suspect at a nearby apartment complex and have another in custody. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The man accused by University of Iowa police of throwing two tomatoes at Donald Trump has plead guilty to disorderly conduct, according KCRG-TV. 28-year-old Andrew Joseph Alemao was arrested by UI Police and charged with disorderly conduct after he was observed throwing two tomatoes at Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign stop at the University of Iowa. Alemao will not be required to serve jail time and the state will not file any additional charges. SIDNEY, IA (IRN) – A southwest Iowa pastor has been convicted of sexually abusing a 5-year-old girl. The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports a Fremont County jury Friday found 68-year-old Roger Kissel guilty of sex abuse and lascivious acts. The jury deliberated for about 2½ hours. Kissel’s sentencing is set for May 4. When he was arrested, Kissel was a pastor at the nondenominational Sidney Cowboy Church. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man faces a weapons charge after shooting at a burglary suspect. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports police responded to an alleged burglary Sunday morning. Around that same time, neighbors reported that a gun had been fired. 21-year-old Dakota Nelson told officers that someone had broken into his home and stolen a purse. He told officers he had a handgun, but denied shooting it. Surveillance video showed Nelson chasing after a suspect vehicle and shooting at it. Nelson was arrested on one count of reckless use of a firearm. The burglary investigation is ongoing. LAMBS GROVE, IA (IRN) – A man is in custody at the Jasper County Jail after a high-speed chase ended in Lambs Grove Sunday. KCCI-TV reports speeds reached up to 145 mph, with the suspect throwing drugs outside the window and shooting at police. The chase started in Pleasant Hill and continued on Interstate 80 heading eastbound. The chase ended when the unnamed suspect ran his car into a tree stump in a Lambs Grove back yard. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa teenager has died after being involved in a car accident Saturday in Sioux City. KWWL-TV reports Rodney Feller lost control of his car, rolled it, and hit a utility pole. He died at the scene. There were four other passengers, ages 14 to 16, in the car. All four suffered non-life threatening injuries. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – The fact that Iowa residents can complete training for a concealed weapons permit online is troubling to Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports several websites offer training videos that people can watch to complete their training without any need to touch a gun. Thompson says the online training certificates don’t mean much, but state law requires him to accept them for gun permit applications. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A new program at Roosevelt and Wilson middle schools in Cedar Rapids uses the game of chess to teach sixth graders lessons about leadership and character. The collaboration between Horizons and the Zach Johnson Foundation’s Kids on Course program is designed to support youth in need of extra attention. Last week’s lesson? The art of losing well.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A judge has issued a gag order in the case of a man accused of shooting a Sioux City police officer. The Sioux City Journal reports that attorneys in the case agreed Friday not to talk publicly about Isaiah Mothershed or his case. Mothershed is scheduled to stand trial May 24 after pleading not guilty Monday to two counts of attempted murder and five counts of first-degree robbery. Mothershed’s attorney says previous statements by police and prosecutors have made it hard for his client to receive a fair trial in Woodbury County. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police say at least 30 shots were fired outside a Des Moines bowling alley early Saturday morning. Officers were called to the parking lot of Plaza Lanes just after 2:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they found 30 to 40 people who had been on a party bus. Police say some kind of dispute led to a gunfight. No injuries were reported. NORA SPRINGS, IA (IRN) – Protesters have promised to picket outside a recently-opened exotic dance club in Nora Springs every night it’s open. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that several people protested Friday night outside the Pole Barn Theater. They held picket signs reading “Women Are Not For Sale” and “Real Men Don’t Exploit Women.” The club opened nearly two weeks ago and is near City Hall and two churches. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – For the third year in a row, a handful of doctors, professors, and medical staff helped raise thousands of dollars for the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, according to KCRG-TV. Doctors in Concert is an annual event that spotlights blue bands, classical music, a marimba player, and more. Each ticket sold benefits the Children’s Hospital. Kirk and Mary Ferentz emceed the event.