Bank Robber Suspect Caught Following Accident
(Moville) — It took just two hours for Woodbury County authorities to capture the hard luck suspect who allegedly robbed the United Bank of Iowa in Moville over the noon lunch hour on Friday. Major Tony Wingert of the Woodbury County
Sheriff’s Office says the white male suspect had entered the bank just before 12:30 p.m., demanded money, and fled in a black B-M-W vehicle which was reportedly stolen from Polk County.
Wingert says the suspect was captured shortly after the stolen car got a flat tire.
Wingert says that ensuing pursuit did not end well for the suspect.
Authorities took the injured suspect into custody, and he was transported to \Mercy Medical Center for medical treatment. The suspect’s name has not yet been released. The Iowa State Patrol, Iowa D-O-T, Moville and Sergerant Bluff Police
and Salix Fire and Ambulance all assisted with the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department in the investigation.
Big Sioux River Under Flood Warning
HAWARDEN, Iowa (AP) – A flood warning is in effect for parts of Sioux County until Sunday. Based on information from the National Weather Service, that the Big Sioux River near Hawarden was over flood stage Friday morning at 23 feet and
causing some flooding of fields and low-lying areas. Minor flooding begins at 19 feet.
The levels are expected to decline several feet over the next several days.
In Akron, river levels are expected to crest within the next day. Flood warnings are also in effect for parts of the Little Sioux River, including areas near Milford and Spencer.
Spring snow-melt is part of the reason for the swollen Big Sioux, and recent rains that fell onto frozen ground added to that.
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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Branstad
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a fired Iowa investigator who complained he was punished for reporting speeding by Gov. Terry Branstad’s security detail.
Judge David May on Friday dismissed several claims brought by former Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Larry Hedlund.
The ruling cancels a three-week trial that had been scheduled for April 9.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety removed Hedlund from duty and fired him in 2013 for what it called insubordination.
Those actions came shortly after Hedlund reported speeding by a trooper driving Branstad and then-Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and complained that it was a public safety problem. State officials have denied any retaliation.
May dismissed claims of whistleblower retaliation, defamation,
intentional infliction of emotional distress and age discrimination.
Hedlund’s attorney, Tom Duff, says he’s very disappointed and will likely appeal.
Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Teacher Conviction
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a former high school teacher who argued that his hugs with a 17-year-old student didn’t amount to sexual misconduct.
The justices wrote in their ruling Friday that although nothing should prohibit teachers from hugging students for reassurance, comfort, or in congratulation, the hugs that 38-year-old former Camanche High School teacher Bradley Wickes gave the student had a more nefarious intent.
The court said that in thousands of Facebook Messenger exchanges between Wickes and the student during a 45-day period, it was clear that she had “become the object of Wickes’s fantasies and sexual desires, and the hugs that coincided
with these messages were for his sexual gratification.”
Wickes was convicted in 2015 of a charge of sexual exploitation by a school employee and sentenced to five years in prison.
Arizona Man Believed He Was Free From 37 Year Old Warrant
PHOENIX (AP) – An Arizona woman says her husband believed he was in the clear after escaping from an Iowa prison 37 years ago and they were both shocked when authorities arrested him earlier this week.
Virginia Cagley says an Iowa prison warden wrote in a 2006 letter that a warrant for Charles “Chuck” Leroy Cagley had been withdrawn.
Police said Cagley was serving a sentence for second-degree robbery in 1981 when he left a minimum security work detail.
They arrested him on an active felony extraditable warrant after the FBI notified the Prescott Valley police that the 68-year-old Cagley was living there.
Authorities say he will be extradited back to Iowa.
An Iowa Corrections Department spokesman says the agency is revising the case.
Iowa DNR To Restock Fishery With Rainbow Trout
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is stocking 1,500 rainbow trout at Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids this weekend.
The fishery will be stocked Saturday morning. An additional 500 rainbow trout will be stocked on April 21 during a family trout fishing event sponsored by the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department and the Iowa DNR.
Those interested in more information on the family trout fishing event may call the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department at 319-286-5799.
Uncertain Whether Anyone Has Won the $521 Million Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Numbers have been drawn for a giant lottery jackpot of at least $521 million.
Mega Millions announced Friday night that the winning numbers are 11, 28, 31, 46, 59 and Mega Ball 1.
It wasn’t yet known whether anyone had bought a winning ticket. The jackpot amount had climbed from $502 million to $521 million earlier in the day, but the final amount of the prize hadn’t been announced late Friday.
It’s the nation’s 10th largest lottery jackpot. No one has matched all six numbers drawn since January.
The $521 million figure refers to the annuity option, in which payments are made over 29 years. The cash option would pay $317 million.
Mega Millions is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
