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Wapello teen arrested for alleged threat involving prom

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Wapello Police have charged a 16-year-old with a felony count of threat of terrorism for an alleged threat involving prom.

Wapello Police responded to a report of a possible threat Thursday, when they received word that an individual may be coming to prom to shoot another individual. After an investigation by the Wapello Police, Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Louisa County Attorney and the Juvenile Detention Office a warrant for the arrest of the teen was obtained.

Police say there are no active threats at this time. Extra law enforcement will be on hand at the Wapello prom as a precaution.

(By Steve Putney, KBUR, Burlington)

 

Iowa Supreme Court upholds murder sentence of Osage teen

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The state Judicial Building.

The Iowa Supreme Court has denied the appeal of the sentence given an Osage teen for killing his mom.

Noah Crooks was found guilty of second-degree murder and “not guilty” of assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse after he called 911 on March 24, 2012 and told the Mitchell County dispatcher he had shot his mom Gretchen with his .22 rifle and then tried to have sex with her. Crooks was 13 and was tried as a youthful offender in adult court.

Court information showed Crooks shot his mom, who was a nurse at a Mason City hospital 22 times. When he turned 18 his case was reviewed. The pre-sentence investigation said Crooks had no issues while in the juvenile detention center and followed the rules there to avoid any negative consequences.

The report also said Crooks could not offer “a plausible explanation for why he shot and killed his mother, that might offer some insight into his thoughts and actions that day.” It said “for the protection of society, it is recommended the defendant be supervised at a higher level of supervision than what community based supervision can provide.”

The judge was sentenced him to an indeterminate prison term not to exceed fifty years without any mandatory minimum sentence. Crooks appealed the sentence saying he should not have tried as a youthful offender in adult court and the sentence given him was unconstitutional.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled trying Crooks as a juvenile offender allowed for time to assess his prospect for rehabilitation, and says the sentence given to him was based on the information in the assessment, and was not unconstitutional.

The ruling did address the issue of Crooks’ age. The ruling says the decision to waive jurisdiction over a child for prosecution as a youthful offender “does not automatically subject the child to adult criminal sanctions. Instead, the youthful offender provisions allow the courts to wait until the child is nearly eighteen-and to see whether the rehabilitative services provided in the juvenile system have been effective-before determining how to proceed.”

The ruling also  says, “We acknowledge sentencing reform efforts nationwide to raise the minimum age for prosecution in adult court. But under our constitutional separation of powers, those efforts should be directed to the legislature.”

Here’s the ruling: Crooks-opinion-PDF

 

 

 

State Patrol reminding drivers today: pot use not legal

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Today is an unofficial holiday for marijuana users, which has prompted an enforcement campaign from the Iowa State Patrol.

“The term 4/20 is synonymous with drug use, so that’s why we’re conducting this project (today) through Sunday.” That’s Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Nate Ludwig, who says drug-impaired driving is becoming a bigger issue on the state’s roads.

“I know the fatality rate attributed to those that are impaired has gone up over the last few years,” Ludwig says. “When people think of impaired driving, they just think of drunk driving from alcohol. But, it’s anything – whether you ingest it, absorb it, smoke it – anything that’s going to impair your cognitive ability to operate a vehicle is impaired driving.”

The Drug Impaired Driving enforcement campaign will involve more officers on roadways looking for erratic drivers who could be under the influence of drugs. Ludwig says many marijuana users believe it’s harmless to smoke-up and get behind the wheel.

“And they’re wrong because anytime you do that, the chemical that’s in it is going to slow your reaction time, impair your cognitive performance, and it’s going to make it more difficult for you to drive down the road and be safe,” Ludwig said.

The enforcement campaign involves Iowa and five other states; Arkansas, Kansas, Missoturi, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. The Lawrence, Kanas Police Department recently posted a message to Twitter saying “Hey potheads planning to toke up on 4/20, stay off the roads. Stock up on Cheetos and Mt. Dew before you spark.”

 

Third trial ends in sexual assault conviction for Charles City man

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Doug Lindaman

A Charles City man accused of molesting a teenager has been convicted of the crime again in a new trial.

Sixty-two-year-old Doug Lindaman was convicted of assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse. This was the third trial for Lindaman. His first conviction was over turned by the Iowa Supreme Court and the second one ended in a mistrial after Lindaman’s criminal history was mentioned by a witness.

Lindaman is accused of sexually abusing a 17-year old boy in 2011. Lindaman’s trial was moved to Cerro Gordo County from Floyd County. His sentencing is scheduled for May 11.

Lindaman was a convicted sex offender and a candidate for the Charles City School Board at the time of his arrest in 2015. He was convicted in 1988 on two counts of lascivious acts with minors.

(By Chris Berg, KCHA, Charles City)

 

Police charge Iowa City woman in October death of infant

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Wendy Young

An Iowa City woman was arrested this morning in connection with the death of a baby last year.

Iowa City Police say 49-year-old Wendy Young, who ran a home daycare service, drank up to 12 cans of beer before watching a 7-month-old infant on October 18. Police were called to her home that morning and found the child unresponsive and later pronounced died at a hospital.

Young is charged with neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

(Photo Courtesy of the Johnson County Jail)

 

Appeals Court throws out murder verdict saying jury influenced by social media

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The Iowa Court of Appeals has ordered a new murder trial for an Emmet County man, saying social media posts influenced the jury.

Lee Christensen of Estherville was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Thomas Bortvit in 2015. His defense conceded that he killed Bortvit, but argued it was an act of passion involving a woman he had once dated and he should be found guilty of a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. The jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.

He appealed the verdict saying jurors had been influenced by a Facebook post that suggested there would be a riot if he wasn’t found guilty of first-degree murder.

The Iowa Court of Appeals ruling says the “information received by the jurors came from sources explicitly prohibited by the court’s admonition. No juror reported these violations to the clerk or to the judge. We conclude the eight jurors’ receipt of extraneous information during deliberations amounted to juror misconduct.

It also says the post was “calculated to and with reasonable probability did influence the jury verdict.” The ruling says the denial of the motion for a new trial amounted to an abuse of discretion by the district court, and the appeals court overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial.

Here’s the ruling: Christensen-opinion-PDF

 

Des Moines County Sheriff investigating woman’s death

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A woman’s death and a car fire are under investigation in southeast Iowa.

Des Moines County Sheriff’s deputies and a fire crew from Mediapolis were called Tuesday evening to the scene of a car on fire in a field. Upon arrived, the found a woman – dead – lying on the ground near the burning vehicle. Her name has not been released. An autopsy was scheduled for today.

Deputies said 57-year-old Bradley Wischmeier, who lives on the property, admitted to driving the vehicle in the field when it got stuck and caught fire.

 

Waukon man charged with murder of stepdad

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A family member is jailed after a fatal shooting in northeast Iowa.

Second-degree murder charges have been filed against a Waukon man in the shooting death of his stepfather Monday afternoon. The Waukon Police Department says 32-year-old John Micheal Quanrude is accused of accidentally killing 60-year-old Dean Elliott Russell at a Waukon trailer park.

Quanrude is being held in the Allamakee County Jail on $10,000 bond.

(By Darin Svenson, KDEC, Decorah)

 

Urbandale investigation leads to arrest of woman for child’s death

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Latyia Johnson

A Des Moines woman was arrested Monday in connection with the death of her infant son earlier this year.

Urbandale Police Sergeant Chad Underwood says officers have been investigating the case for nearly three months.

“On January 24, we responded to an extended stay motel in Urbandale on the report of an infant not breathing. The infant was transported to the hospital and later died,” Underwood said. The mother of the six-month-old boy, 33-year-old Latyia Johnson, is charged with child endangerment resulting in death.

Underwood declined to provide further details, including how the baby died. “I can’t give that information out at this time,” Underwood told Radio Iowa. If convicted of the charges she’s facing, Johnson could face up to 50 years in prison.

(Polk County Jail Photo)

 

Amber Alert in eastern Iowa ends with children found

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A statewide Amber Alert was issued overnight in the case of two children who were abducted in eastern Iowa.

The Clinton County Sheriff’s Department was called to Toronto in western Clinton County about 9 o’clock Monday night. The call was for a complaint of a non-custodial child abduction. Deputies interviewed the mother of the two boys — ages 2 and 4.

Aubrie O’Haver told deputies she and the father of the two boys had been grocery shopping. When they returned to her residence, O’Haver said she was unloading groceries from her vehicle when the non-custodial parent drove off with the two boys in the car.

She indicated her ex-boyfriend recently had his parental rights terminated and that he had made statements about harming everyone. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office then put the Amber Alert System into effect. They announced they were looking for 27-year-old Taylor Jason Millroy and that he may be headed to Illinois. At 2:52 a.m., officers from the Moline, Illinois, Police Department located the two boys with Milroy at an apartment complex.

Moline officers recovered the two children who were transported to the police station. Deputies from the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office reunited the children with their mother. The case remains under investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton County Attorney’s Office.

(By Dave Vickers, KROS, Clinton)