Iowa Radio News

BUFFALO, IA (IRN) – Investigators are seeking information on the death of a Davenport man whose body was pulled from the Mississippi River near Buffalo, Iowa. WQAD-TV reports 35-year-old Gregory Dunbar was last seen leaving his apartment building on May 8. Later that week his body was pulled from the Mississippi. GENEVA, IA (IRN) – A parolee accused of burning an icehouse in Franklin County has pled guilty. KIMT-TV reports 27-year-old Brandon Deetz entered the plea Wednesday. Deetz was arrested after deputies stopped a car that witnesses spotted leaving the fire scene near Geneva on March 9. Deetz was on parole for 2012 arson convictions when he was arrested. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A woman in custody at the Polk County jail has died. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting an investigation into the death of 50-year-old Linda Spencer of Des Moines. Jail staff members found Spencer, initiated life-saving measures, and were able to revive her. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital. She was in jail to serve 29 days for possession of methamphetamine. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – One person has died and another was hospitalized following a four-vehicle accident on Interstate 35 near Ankeny. The Des Moines Register reports one of the drivers in the crash fled the scene on foot, but was apprehended by police. JACKSON, NE (IRN) – Two residents of Council Bluffs are dead and two others were injured in an accident in Jackson, Nebraska, according to KETV. Shortly before dawn yesterday, deputies found the car down an embankment in a creek. They say the driver, 45-year-old Christopher Cox, is OK. 57-year-old Connie Fauzae and 9-year-old Espionza Lara were killed, and 10-year-old Jose Lara is hospitalized. Cox said he swerved to avoid a deer and lost control. MUSCATINE, IA (IRN) – A jury has found a former Muscatine police officer guilty of sexually assaulting a Davenport woman while he was on duty. WQAD-TV reports Tom Tovar, the ex-police officer, says the sex was consensual. She says it wasn’t. He gave her a ride in his squad car to her hotel after her boyfriend was arrested for drunk driving. Tovar faces a mandatory ten years in prison. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is investigating an attempted abduction that happened on the north side of Des Moines. A 14-year-old girl reported that she was walking when a man jumped out of a car and started chasing her. The girl ran to a nearby home and asked the occupants to call police. The man fled. AMES, IA (IRN) – The president of the board that governs Iowa’s three public universities says he’s backing a tuition hike that’s been criticized by Gov. Terry Branstad. KCCI-TV reports Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter says the legislature has underfunded the universities. Branstad disagrees. A public split is unusual between Branstad and Rastetter, one of the governor’s top donors.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A Council Bluffs man has been charged with child endangerment after authorities found that 11 children were living in filthy conditions. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Richard Simet is charged with neglect of a dependent person and a dozen counts of child endangerment. The same charges face 34-year-old Bobbi Simet, who authorities say isn’t married to Richard Simet. The home was dirty, infested with cockroaches, and smelled like urine. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Mason City man has been charged with burglary and domestic assault. KIMT-TV reports 32-year-old Robby Rasmussen entered a home Wednesday and threatened to kill one or more of the occupants. Rasmussen cut one of the victims and allegedly restricted the airways of another. Rasmussen fled but was arrested a short time later. BURLINGTON, IA (IRN) – Burlington police have discovered what is believed to be a human foot at Lake West, according to WQAD-TV. Detectives were called to the scene yesterday afternoon. Investigators have contacted the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and will work with their lab experts to confirm that the found remains are, in fact, a human foot. DES MOINES, IA – Authorities are investigating an overnight fire at a home in Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports when firefighters arrived, the top floor and roof of the home were engulfed in flames. Two people were inside the home at the time of the fire, but managed to make it out safely. No injuries were reported. KELLOGG, IA (IRN) – A teen driver was killed and four others were hurt in a crash Tuesday near Kellogg, according to the Iowa State Patrol. A car failed to stop at a stop sign and hit a truck. Callers reported that the truck was on fire, but three people were able to get out. Two people were trapped in the car. The driver of the car, 16-year-old Trenton Brady of rural Kellogg, was pronounced dead at the scene. Four were hospitalized. FLOYD COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A bicyclist was killed after being hit by a pickup truck in rural Floyd County. The Iowa State Patrol says 50-year-old Todd Schriever, of Marble Rock, was traveling southbound in his pickup when he hit 69-year-old Robert Philips, of Nashua, who was heading in the same direction on his bike. Philips was killed in the crash. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Drinking a beer or other alcohol could soon be banned at certain beaches in Johnson and Linn Counties. KCRG-TV reports the Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to vote tomorrow on whether to ban alcohol at Lake Macbride and Pleasant Creek. Supporters say it will make the beaches more family-friendly. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A family of ospreys have chosen an unusual home–the Wells Fargo Campus in West Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports the ospreys showed up for the second summer in a row, and have already laid eggs. The nest has a webcam that records the birds 24 hours a day. OspreyCam 2016 can be found on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A former employee of The Swiss Colony catalog sales company has agreed to plead guilty to an elaborate fraud scheme in which he stole and sold its merchandise online for years. Chad Saeugling of Asbury was a manager at its warehouse in Peosta that helps fill customer orders. For five years he stole merchandise and sold it online to unwitting customers through eBay. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A 21-year-old northern Iowa man has been accused of punching and robbing his mother. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Michael Dalluge was arrested and charged with felony robbery. Dalluge allegedly punched his mother in her arm and stole $180 from her in Mason City. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A leaking railroad tank car has left a 25,000-gallon trail of animal fat along tracks crossing Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the leak ran about 200 miles, from Missouri Valley in western Iowa’s Harrison County to Fairfax in Linn County. A cap came off the bottom valve of the tanker. The biggest spill was found in Boone, where an estimated 1,500 gallons leaked where the train stopped for 15 minutes. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Former Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge has won the Democratic nomination and will face incumbent Chuck Grassley in November to represent Iowa in the United States Senate. Judge, who served as lieutenant governor from 2007-2011, came out on top in a four-way race. Grassley is seeking a seventh term in the Senate. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in West Des Moines are investigating a bank robbery that occurred on Tuesday, according to WHO-TV. Officers say two subjects entered 1st National Bank and robbed the bank by displaying handguns and demanding money. One of the subjects jumped over the counter and removed money from the teller drawers. No one was injured. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo police are investigating a shooting where two homes, a United States Postal Service truck, and two other vehicles were hit. KWWL-TV reports more than 25 bullet casings were found where the postal truck was parked. The postal worker was a block away at the time and is uninjured. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A senior member of the Iowa Senate says he has suspended his Republican Party membership to protest “racist remarks” made by the party’s presumptive nominee Donald Trump. The Des Moines Register reports Sen. David Johnson, of Ocheyedan, said that he changed his voter registration from Republican to “no party.” The senator says he would “not stand silent” if the Republican Party “buckles under the racial bias of a bigot.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was allegedly the victim of a hit-and-run that involved his niece on Monday. KCCI-TV reports 55-year-old Donald Windfield was hit by a car driven by his niece, 17-year-old Kiara Olson. Family members say the pair were arguing before Olson got into a car and pinned her uncle against a house and sped away. SHENANDOAH, IA (IRN) – A teenager in Iowa was struck and killed by a car during cross-country practice Tuesday, according to the Iowa State Patrol. 14-year-old Kinsee Rooker was crossing Highway 2 in Shenandoah when she was struck by a 2002 Mercury Sable driven by 27-year-old Brent McKinnon of Clarinda. She was pronounced dead at the scene. FOREST CITY, IA (IRN) – A 42-year-old woman who admitted stealing from a Lake Mills day care has been given three years of probation and 30 days in jail. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that Brenda Steinman used company credit cards and other business funds for her personal use when she was director of the day care. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – An inmate was found unresponsive in a recreation yard at Newton Correctional Facility, according to KCCI-TV. Prison personnel tried to revive 51-year-old Dennis Brown. He was pronounced dead later at Skiff Medical Center. The cause of death is believed to be coronary artery disease. Brown was serving a 20-year sentence for two sex abuse convictions in Story County. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Alexander Kozak will spend the rest of his life in prison, according to KCRG-TV. A judge handed down the mandatory life sentence during a hearing Monday afternoon at the Johnson County courthouse. Kozak was convicted in April for the June 2015 murder of Andrea Farrington at the Coral Ridge Mall. Kozak told the judge he was regretful for killing Farrington. ALTOONA, IA (IRN) – A Runnels man is recovering after a serious hit-and-run accident occurred Friday in Altoona. WHO-TV reports 51-year-old Wayne Patterson was on his Harley Davidson motorcycle when a red pickup truck failed to stop at a stop sign and hit him. Patterson shattered both wrists, fractured his back in five places, broke his eye socket and cheek bone. Police are still looking for the driver of the truck. DES MOINES (IRN) – Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Michael Haugen has submitted a letter of resignation, according to KWWL-TV. In March, Haugen rear-ended another car, but received no ticket. He was in the process of being fired for misconduct the patrol hasn’t explained. His resignation letter says he’s battling opioid addiction. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A Sioux City casino open fewer than two years is seeking approval to expand its main floor to include high-stakes gambling. The Sioux City Journal reports the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is planning a $5 million, nearly 8,000-square-foot addition to its downtown casino. The Sioux City Council is scheduled to discuss the expansion at a meeting Monday.

DENISON, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is investigating the death of a 38-year-old woman. The Denison Police Department received a 911 call June 2 to report a deceased person. Upon arrival, officers found the body of Shelly Snavely. An autopsy was performed Friday and found no signs of inflicted trauma. Toxicology results are pending. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Officials have given the green light for construction to begin on the Bakken oil pipeline through Iowa, according to WHO-TV. Board members have delayed the decision twice. AMES, IA (IRN) – Fire crews in Ames rescued several residents from an apartment fire early this morning, according to KCCI-TV. When firefighters arrived flames were visible from the roof and windows of the 33-unit complex. Firefighters rescued people from third floor balconies using ladders. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – One man was hurt after a projectile hit him in the head outside a Davenport bar. WQAD-TV reports police responded to a report of a possible gunshot victim. Crews found a 43-year-old man who had been hit in the head while in the patio area of the bar. He was taken to a local hospital. While investigating, officers found “a projectile” which possibly hit the victim. Police say the projectile was not a bullet, and are investigating. SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NE (IRN) – A northwest Iowa city clerk has been arrested and charged after he tried to meet an underage boy in Nebraska for sex. The Sioux City Journal reports that Lawton, Iowa, City Clerk Douglas Furlich has been charged with sexual assault through use of an electronic device. The 60-year-old posted an ad online saying he was “looking for a younger guy.” An undercover officer responded, pretending to be a 15-year-old boy. An arrangement was made to meet in a city park, where Furlich was met by police and arrested. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Charges are pending for a man who crashed a motorcycle after running away from police, according to KCRG-TV. Cedar Rapids police say the man failed to pull over after officers saw him commit a traffic violation. During the chase the driver of the motorcycle crashed into a street sign. He suffered minor injuries. JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Fire crews from three different departments worked to extinguish a townhome fire in Johnston Saturday, according to KCCI-TV. Firefighters from Johnston, Urbandale and Windsor Heights responded. The fire started in one home and spread to at least two neighboring units. No one was injured. AMES, IA (IRN) – While STEM training–science, technology, engineering and math–are skills in demand by employers, a new study shows that one other skill is even more important. WHO-TV reports the study by Iowa State University has found the number one skill sought by employers is communication–verbal and written. The study contacted 52 employers in different fields who all stressed the importance of communication skills in the workforce.