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Waterloo officials express "disgust, concern" over dramatic increase in shootings

July 21, 2009 By

The mayor of Waterloo and other city officials expressed concern Tuesday about a recent increase in the number of shootings in the past couple of months where people have been hurt. Since May 1st, police have responded to 11 shootings — nearly four times the number reported during the same period last year.

Mayor Tim Hurley says the increase in violence is raising the fear of many people in Waterloo. "I just want the people of Waterloo and the Cedar Valley to understand, that the mayor, the city council, the staff outside law enforcement, the neighborhood associations and the 99.9% of the law-abiding citizens in the city of Waterloo are fed up. We’re disgusted, we’re angry, we’re concerned, we’re apprehensive yes, about what may come next," Hurley said.

Hurley made an appeal for the violence to end. Hurley says he’s upset that the acts of a few people are giving the city of Waterloo a bad image. "This isn’t cool, it isn’t brave, it isn’t brash, it isn’t brazen. Sometimes I think those words are almost encouraging in news reports," Hurley says, "this is stupid, it’s ignorant, it’s cowardly, and we ought to think of it that way."

The incidents of gun violence have occurred throughout the city, making the acts appear to be random. But, Police Chief Thomas Jennings says they’re not. In each case, Jennings says the shooters and victims knew each other. The chief’s biggest worry is that an innocent by-stander will become a victim if the shootings continue.

Jennings says that’s the only positive news, is that the acts are not random. But he says his greatest fear is a child or adult who is an innocent bystander is going to get injured. The latest shooting happened in broad-daylight Monday afternoon in the parking lot of a busy convenience store.

Motorists pumping gas at a local Kwik Star found themselves ducking from gunfire, an incident that left 33-year-old Bernard Edwards of Waterloo hospitalized in guarded condition with a wound to his stomach.

According to Jennings, police have identified a suspect in the shooting, but have made no arrests. The chief says investigators are making some progress in their efforts to solve the recent shootings. Jennings says they’ve made arrests in three of the 11 incidents, two more suspects have been identified and they are working to bring formal criminal charges against the individuals.

Jennings says efforts to identify suspects in some of the shooting incidents have been impacted by uncooperative witnesses. He’s making a public plea, asking those people to share with police what they know about the crimes.

"There are individuals in this community that have first-hand knowledge (of the crimes)..they have either declined to comment on what they know or have made the statement that they are not going to cooperate and take care of the matters, of themselves," Jennings says. Jennings says an arrest warrant has been issued for 17-year-old Darius Caston of Waterloo — the suspect being sought for the July 13th shooting spree outside a home just a few blocks from downtown.

Police identified the victims in that shooting as 17-year-old Damarrius Todd, 25-year-old Trevell McCoy, and 16-year-old Edward Degraffinreed, who remains hospitalized in guarded condition. Jennings says Caston — described as a black male, five-feet, 11-inches tall, and 185 pounds — poses a threat to the community.

"The obvious question is ‘do we think he’s armed and dangerous?’, I think the obvious answer is we suspect he’s involved in a shooting where three people were shot, so obviously he is armed," Jennings says. He says they are asking the public to take no action if they spot Caston. They are asked to call police. Jennings says police hope to make an arrest in the Monday shooting soon.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government

Culver has no plans to seek details about drinking party on justice’s property

July 21, 2009 By

The Iowa Supreme Court’s chief justice is declining to comment publicly on the handful of 19-year-olds who a deputy says were drinking at a bonfire on her property.

The chief justice’s husband was cited for interference with official acts. The deputy sheriff who investigated the complaint about a loud party in rural Grimes has said he did not see the chief justice and doesn’t know if she was home at the time. Governor Chet Culver doesn’t know either.

"I do not have any of the details related to that incident," Culver told reporters today.

Former Governor Terry Branstad appointed Marsha Ternus to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1993. She became chief justice in 2006, based on a voter of her fellow justices. Governor Culver does not intend to ask Ternus about the drinking incident on her property.

"I believe if it involved our Department of Public Safety — if it raised to that level — it would make sense, but it has not," Culver said. "So it is a local issue with the local law enforcement officials and our state Department of Public Safety has not been involved."

A Republican candidate for governor today  said Iowans should use their power in the judicial retention elections in November, 2010 to vote to remove Ternus from the court. Representative Rod Roberts, though, objects to Ternus’ role in the decision which legalized gay marriage in Iowa and was not commenting on the underage drinking party at her home.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts Tagged With:

Oelwein residents meet author who wrote about their meth problems

July 21, 2009 By

Methland book cover. A larger than expected crowd turned out in the northeast Iowa town of Oelwein last night (Monday) to meet the author of a book that chronicled the meth epidemic in the town.

Some 150 people came to the Oelwein library to talk with Nick Reding author of "Methland: The Death And Life Of An American Small Town."

Local prosecutor Nathen Lien is featured prominently in the book and was asked about the depiction of the town.

Lien says the meth situation was described "fairly accurately" compared to what he dealt with, and says Reding was able to bring the meth situation full circle. Oelwein librarian Susan Macken gives the book an overall good rating.

"There are some things in there that I did find are inaccurate that I knew, and I guess you have to kind of think of the overall picture too, what was the story he was trying to tell — there was a meth problem and the town tried to remedy it and did," Macken says. She says it is "a positive book" in the end.

Macken says they had one book to start and ordered three more, and now have a waiting list for people wanting to read it.  Former librarian, Vivian Petrick Koloc, did read the entire book.

"I thought the book was very candid, probably a little bleak at the beginning, but the ending, the author did recognize that Oelwein has really gone a long way and continuing to go a long way," she says. Doctor Clay Hallberg was also featured in the book and says the community reaction to Reding was mostly positive despite the issues the book covered.

Hallberg says there were a lot of things in the book that were "to say the least dicey." But he says it’s just like anything else in the world, that "until you get out of the stages of denial and admit that there’s a problem, nothing gets done." Hallberg says the community is lucky that the people that are leaders have their hearts "mostly in the right places" when it comes to discussing the problem.

Reding talked with the local radio station KOEL, and says he was aware that the book might raise some concerns. Reding says as soon as he got the first copies of the book, he sent them to those he wrote about. "And I was certainly very nervous to hear back from them… but they were very supportive of what was in that book."

Reding says most people understand that he Oelwein was used to illustrate a bigger picture. Reding says he didn’t pick Oelwein because the city has the worst meth problem in the world. And he says the book covers up to 2005 and doesn’t update with the changes made in Oelwein to deal with the meth problem.

Reding says you could take a dart and throw it at the map and find communities across the country that had similar meth problems. Reding stopped in Oelwein as part of a tour to promote the book. He will be in Iowa City Wednesday (July 22) and Cedar Rapids on Thursday.

The book is published by Bloomsbury USA and can be ordered from their website here .

 

Filed Under: Recreation & Entertainment Tagged With:

Pharmacy Board approves hearings on medical marijuana use

July 21, 2009 By

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy today voted unanimously to hold a series of public hearings about whether the state should legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The board is charged with making a recommendation to the legislature on whether to reclassify the drug. Board member Deeann Wedemeyer-Oleson, a registered pharmacist, says state law lists criteria for reclassifying drugs.

That criteria includes the clinical benefits of the particular drug, the risks of its use and a toxicology analysis. The public hearings will be held statewide between August and November. Then, the board will consider making a recommendation to lawmakers. Wedemeyer Oleson says the board will weigh the medical benefits as well as the risks.

"I think a lot of people have this impression that if there’s any clinical benefit to marijuana, then we need to move it to a different controlled substance class. But when you look at the criteria, it’s not only medical benefit but what are the medical risks," Wedemeyer-Oleson said.

A bill to legalize the medical use of marijuana failed to advance at the statehouse last year. Thirteen U.S. states have made medical marijuana legal. 

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Culver meets with new FEMA director

July 21, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver met with the new director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week. According to Culver, the FEMA director told him Iowa is in a "good position" to qualify for more federal disaster aide.

Culver says some of the "I-JOBS" money the state borrowed to finance infrastructure projects may be used to cover the small state and local government payments required to qualify for some FEMA grants.

"That’ll mean more jobs and in all likelihood a faster recovery because we’ll have more access to federal money as a result," Culver says.

The FEMA director is among those who’ve met with governors who are at the National Governors Association meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi. Culver says FEMA’s grant application process is "complex," but he’s optimistic the state will get more FEMA money for flood recovery.

"We have about 8000 to 10,000 public infrastructure projects that FEMA will pay for, in whole or in part," Culver says.

Culver invited FEMA director Craig Fugate to Iowa to tour areas which were flooded a year ago and which still need attention more than a year later.

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Weather Tagged With: , , , ,

Roberts declares himself "official" candidate for governor

July 21, 2009 By

(This story was updated at 1:04 p.m.)

State Representative Rod Roberts and his wife Trish. A fifth Republican has filed the required paperwork and started raising money for a campaign for governor.

Rod Roberts, a state representative from Carroll, made his aspirations "official" late this morning during a news conference in Des Moines.

"I want to serve the people of Iowa as their next governor," Roberts said.

Roberts, an ordained minister who is now development director for Christian Churches in Iowa, got a few "Amens" from the crowd of about 150 who gathered into a statehouse conference room to hear his "announcement" speech.

"I have spoken with countless Iowans who have told me that Iowa needs a change in direction and a change in leadership," Roberts said.

Roberts, who is 51 years old, ran for the legislature in 1998 and lost, but then ran again in 2000 and won. After nine years in the legislature, Roberts presents himself as a "new" kind of voice to face-off against Democrat Governor Chet Culver in 2010.

"Incumbency is the single-greatest asset a candidate has…particularly here in Iowa. However, when you look toward the future, there seems to be an opportunity for Republicans next year," Roberts said. "It will not be easy to defeat Governor Culver, but I believe it is possible to defeat Governor Culver, but I believe it will take the right kind of nominee."

Roberts describes himself as a friendly and approachable, and suggests he is a "fresh face" compared to other Republicans who are running, like Bob Vander Plaats, who ran for governor in 2002 and 2006 and is running a third time.

"From what I hear from people…they’re interested in a new face and a new voice," Roberts said. "There are individuals who are perhaps more well-known on a statewide basis who are running for this nomination, but there are individuals who are very interested in someone new, someone different."

Christian Fong, a Republican from Cedar Rapids, says he is "definitely" a candidate for governor as well and he’s formed an "exploratory committee" to raise campaign cash. Bob Vander Plaats and Christopher Rants, both of Sioux City, have been actively campaigning for the past few months and raises money as well.

Two other Republican legislators have indicated they are contemplating a bid for governor, but only one of them – Senator Paul McKinley of Chariton — has taken the step of forming an exploratory committee in order to raise money for a race.

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Michael Kiernan is dismissive of the G.O.P. field. "From the Democratic Party’s perspective, we’re one short of the seven dwarfs," Kiernan says.

Kiernan says Roberts is not well-known outside of the Carroll area and hasn’t been a high-profile legislator. "I think that his own constituents are going to conclude that making this race is really a stretch for him," Kiernan says. "And while nobody doubts his committment to his Christian faith, when it comes to this race and ideas for moving this state forward, frankly all he has to offer is a prayer."

Click on the audio link below to hear what Roberts said this morning at the statehouse.

AUDIO: Roberts news conference…MP3 40 min

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Man charged with attempted murder in Ottumwa stabbing

July 21, 2009 By

One man is in custody and another man is hospitalized after a stabbing in southeast Iowa. Twenty-eight-year-old Ryan Bishop of Ottumwa is charged with attempted murder following the incident in Ottumwa Monday night.

Police arrested Bishop for the stabbing of 22-year-old Shane Reinier, also of Ottumwa. Reiner’s being treated at the Ottumwa Regional Health Center. His condition was not immediately available. Bishop was also charged with possession of marijuana and aggravated interference with official acts.

 

Filed Under: Crime & Courts
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