Iowa Radio News

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Waterloo Police arrested five people Friday after they robbed a Domino’s Pizza delivery man, according to KWWL-TV. The five people, ranging in ages from 13 to 25, called to order the pizza on a personal cell phone but gave a fake name. When the delivery man arrived at the specified address, they held up a BB gun and stole the pizza. All five were arrested and charged with second degree robbery. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Eleven men and one woman have been arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution after a two night sting in Sioux City, according to KMEG-TV. This is the 4th prostitution sting this year in the Sioux City area. One man charged is a former Human Resources Director for the Sioux City Community School District. Another man is an ordained minister and counselor at Bible Restoration Ministries. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – For the second year in a row, gun violence is a severe problem in Cedar Rapids. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette there have been 41 shootings in the city from January 1 through the end of June this year.  There were a record 93 shootings last year. Police say many of the shootings are related to an ongoing dispute between approximately two dozen individuals who are not members of gangs in the traditional sense of the word. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A drunken Iowa City man told officers he broke into a van and tossed out the contents “because he is an artist.” KCRG-TV reports Iowa City police responded Friday to a report of a subject breaking out the windows of a van parked in the alley. Police said when they responded, 28-year-old Eli J. Hamann was standing in front of the van, “throwing around items.” Hamann faces multiple charges. ELDON, IA (IRN) – A man is dead after a traffic accident south of Eldon in Wapello County on Sunday. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2000 Sonoma pickup driven by Ashton Hughes, 26, of Ottumwa was westbound on River Road, when Hughes lost control and the vehicle rolled several times. Passenger Devin Kent, 27, also of Ottumwa, was trapped in the vehicle, and pronounced dead at the scene. Hughes was transported by helicopter to Mercy Des Moines. DICKINSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A second traffic fatality happened in Iowa over the weekend in rural Dickinson County. On Saturday a 1999 Buick driven by Beverly Steuben, 80, of Spencer, was stopped at a stop sign, when it pulled out in front of a 2000 Impala driven by Kayla Foushee, of Ocheyedan. The Impala struck the driver’s side of the Buick, killing Steuben. Foushee suffered apparent non-life threatening injuries. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – A woman has been charged with OWI after hitting two RAGBRAI bicyclists early Sunday morning in Sioux City.  KCCI-TV reports 36-year-old Charryse Chavez didn’t obey a police officer directing traffic when she plowed through an intersection hitting two people on a tandem bike and driving off. Chavez is charged with OWI, no insurance and failure to obey a police officer. The bicyclists, from Wisconsin, suffered non-life threatening injuries. QUAD CITIES (IRN) – Crews in two different eastern Iowa cities pulled bodies from the Mississippi Sunday. KWQC-TV reports Rock Island and Davenport police and firefighters were called to a dock in Rock Island Sunday night. A man went into the water to cool off and never came up. A body was also pulled out of the Mississppi in Clinton after being seen floating by a boater.

DES MOINES (IRN) – A motorcyclist was injured Friday night following a crash in southeast Des Moines, according to WHO-TV. Des Moines police say a car pulled in front of the biker causing the collision. While the biker suffered several broken bones, the injuries are apparently non-life threatening. The biker was wearing a helmet. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A small plane crashed on Saturday night in Johnson County. KWWL-TV reports the accident happened at the Green Castle Airport near Oxford. Two people suffered non-life threatening injuries. Their names have not been released. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A Minnesota man is facing charges after an incident at the Mason City Wal-Mart. KIMT-TV reports 32-year-old Juan Jose Zamarripa of Faribault, MN, is charged with 2nd degree robbery and interference with official acts. On Friday Zamarripa allegedly grabbed a woman by the arms and tried to pull her out of her parked van, and get into it.  Zamarripa left the woman and went into the Wal-Mart when a citizen confronted him. The woman was not injured. APPANOOSE COUNTY (IRN) – The Iowa DNR recently exempted Honey Creek Resort State Park in Appanoose County from some concession rules within the Iowa Administrative Code. The exemption allows more flexibility in managing the resort than what is normally provided to state park concessions.  

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police made one arrest in a shooting on Court Avenue downtown early Saturday morning. KCCI-TV reports officers said they heard three to six shots fired, and numerous people fled the area. Police began chasing the suspect and he eventually dropped his firearm. Police arrested him without incident. No one was injured in the shooting. The suspect’s name has not yet been released. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – New details have led to an arrest in a 20-year-old murder case.  The Iowa City Press Citizen reports the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Steven John Klein, 54, on Friday in Muscatine and charged him with first-degree murder for the 1995 death of Susan Pearl Kersten. Kersten’s body was found in the charred remains of her car. Police aren’t saying what new information led to the arrest. LEE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa man was killed in a crash with a semi tractor-trailer on Thursday morning. Ulysee Clayton, 57, of Waterloo, was killed when he ran a stop sign and his car hit a semi-trailer carrying logs. The semi driver, William Streeter, 52, of Washington, was not seriously hurt in the crash, which remains under investigation. ROCK ISLAND, Il (IRN) – A Rock Island man has been found guilty of murdering a Davenport woman. KWQC-TV reports Tim McVay, 40, was found guilty Friday of the murder of his former girlfriend, 29-year-old Carrie Olson.  Olsen was reported missing in December of 2013. Her body turned up in a wooded area in Hastings, Minnesota in the spring of 2014. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Alabama Firefighter has been sentenced for guiding illegal deer hunts in rural  Lucas County. The United States District Court of Southern Iowa sentenced Robert J. Wilkins, 53, of Semmes, Alabama, to 4 years probation, 6 months of home confinement, and over $12,000 in fines. SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Thunderstorms and strong winds hit Sioux City on the first night that RAGBRAI riders arrived for the annual bike ride across the state. KCAU-TV reports winds up to 60 mph and heavy rain blew through town on Friday night. Over 2,000 homes in the area were without power. No injuries were reported.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The man accused of getting drunk and colliding with a utility vehicle, killing four boys, has asked the judge for a sentence of no more than 10 years.  KWWL-TV reports Joseph Connolly, 25, faces four counts of vehicular homicide by operating under the influence, four counts of vehicular homicide by driving recklessly and other charges. He was driving a pickup last August when he ran through a stop sign and hit the vehicle near Epworth. CLEAR LAKE, IA (IRN) – Those in the area of a water treatment facility near downtown Clear Lake were evacuated on account of a chlorine leak Friday morning. KIMT-TV reports the Mason City Hazmat team was called in to assess the situation. A noticeable scent of chlorine was in the air, and no injuries were reported. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A Coralville woman is accused of racking up nearly $20,000 in fraudulent charges on her grandparents’ credit cards. KCRG-TV reports over the course of two months, 32-year-old Leslie A. Cady used her grandparents’ credit cards to buy merchandise and online games, rent motel rooms and obtain cash advance withdrawals. Cady’s unauthorized purchases totaled nearly $20,000. She faces 10 years in prison on two felony charges. FRUITLAND, IA (IRN) – A train derailed early this morning near the Muscatine County town of Fruitland, according to KWQC-TV. Officials with Canadian Pacific Railroad say six cars turned on their side. Five cars were carrying automobiles and one was empty. No one was injured and the cause is under investigation. OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Authorities pursued a man who ran away from a halfway house to a cornfield north of Ottumwa Wednesday.  According to KCCI-TV, Christopher Showalter, 36, escaped two weeks ago. Showalter assaulted his ex-girlfriend Tuesday and ran into a 130-acre cornfield. Dozens of squad cars, a helicopter, a fire ladder truck and two planes searched the field until Showalter was caught eight hours later. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo man who was living in the country illegally was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa says 34-year-old Alejandro Paredes-Barradas had been deported back to Mexico in 2007 after three convictions for operating while intoxicated and other charges, but returned to the country. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa is receiving criticism for hiring a part-time, out-of-state public relations representative to work three days a week; for $20,000 per month. The University of Iowa tells WHO-TV it has contracted for six months with Terri Goren of Goren and Associates in Atlanta to oversee the Communication and Marketing divisions. Students are not happy. MOUNT PLEASANT, IA (IRN) – Iowa Wesleyan College is becoming Iowa Wesleyan University, according to College President Steve Titus. The guiding vision for the change is for the institution to become the regional comprehensive University for the people of southeast Iowa.  

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Charlie D. Pitchford, age 34, was sentenced in the Southern District Court of Iowa on Wednesday. In 2012, Coralville police stopped a vehicle in which Pitchford was a passenger. Police found a loaded .45 caliber pistol and a plastic bag that contained 19 individually packaged bags of marijuana under his seat. ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A new study from the US Department of Energy shows Iowa has tremendous potential for wind growth in the coming years. Iowa’s total power generation could rise to 40% by wind in just five years, up from 28% currently. DMACC President Rob Denson says the school is committed to training technicians needed for the wind industry. QUAD CITIES, IA (IRN) – A Wisconsin woman planning to ride in her first RAGBRAI was killed while training. WHO-TV reports Donna David of Marshfield, Wisconsin was hit by a car and killed while on a training ride. She was a member of the Quad Cities Bicycle Club. Friends say David was looking forward to her first RAGBRAI and said it would be the highlight of her summer. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City has banned e-cigarettes in all areas where tobacco cigarettes are banned.  KWWL-TV reports the Iowa City council vote was unanimous Wednesday night. The ban means e-cigarettes will not be allowed in offices, city buildings or parks. Due to the fact that e-cigarettes release a vapor and not smoke, they are not covered under Iowa’s Smoke-Free Air Act. DES MOINES (IRN) – Charges have been filed in the shooting death of a Des Moines teen last month, according to KCCI-TV. Terry Harris, 16, was shot in the mouth and killed. Kenneth Raphael Moore, 17, of Des Moines, was charged with first-degree murder and robbery on Wednesday. The two were friends. Moore will be tried as an adult. MUSCATINE COUNTY, IA (IRN) – Four teenagers were injured when the car they were in rolled on Highway 61 in Muscatine County on Monday. WQAD-TV reports the accident happened when the driver looked up from texting, saw he had swerved, over-corrected, hit the median and rolled three times. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A Quad Cities man was sentenced to five years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition in the Southern District Federal Court of Iowa on Wednesday.  In June of last year, Travis Diontrae Harris, 28, fired multiple shots from a .22 caliber handgun into the side of a residence in Rock Island, IL, and into a vehicle parked nearby. Multiple adults were in the residence at the time of the shooting. JOHNSON COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A Swisher woman was killed Wednesday after colliding with a semi parked along Interstate 380 in Johnson County. The Iowa State Patrol reports Keri Jo Goddard, 33, was traveling southbound in a 1998 Nissan Maxima when she left the road and hit the parked semi. A 15-year-old passenger was airlifted. The driver of the semi was not injured.