Knapp To Hold Competency Hearing
(Le Mars) — A competency hearing has been set for a Merrill man charged with First Degree murder and Domestic assault. 83-year old Thomas Knapp of Merrill is charged in the shooting death of his stepson, Kevin Juzek, and assault of Knapp’s wife at their rural Merrill home in May of 2020. Knapp’s defense attorney maintains he is not competent to stand trial. Knapp is also hard of hearing. Court records state that Knapp allegedly shot Juzek in the abdomen and chest with a 20-gauge shotgun, and struck his wife in the head, and broke bones in her hand, during the same disturbance. The competency hearing is scheduled for August 10th in Plymouth County District Court. Meanwhile, Knapp is scheduled to stand trial on August 24th.
Iowa Home Sales Set More Records in May
(West Des Moines, IA) — A new report from the Iowa Association of Realtors confirms it’s a sellers’ market. The report says multiple records were set for home sales in May. Houses across the state were selling faster than usual, spending an average of 41 days on the market, which is 34-percent fewer than during May of last year. The number of homes sold rose by more than 11-percent compared to a year ago, while median sale prices were up more than eight-percent. The median price last May was 184-thousand dollars versus 199-thousand this May. Also, since there’s such high demand, a record number of homes are selling well over the asking price.
Motorcyclist Dies in Southwest Iowa Crash
(Exira, IA) — A man from southwest Iowa is dead after a motorcycle crash Wednesday afternoon in Audubon County. The Iowa State Patrol says 65-year-old Jed Bengard, Junior of Exira missed a curve, left the roadway and went into the ditch. Bengard’s cycle overturned and he was thrown from the bike. State troopers say he died at the scene. The crash is still under investigation.
Former North Des Moines City Hall Heavily Damaged in Fire
(Des Moines, IA) — A historic building that used to be North Des Moines City Hall is heavily damaged by fire and investigators believe it is suspicious. Firefighters were called to the building Wednesday morning to put out a fire. The building is vacant but the Black Liberation Movement had been using the front porch as a memorial to missing and killed Black children. B-L-M is asking people to refresh the makeshift memorial with red, yellow and purple flowers. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Federal Fugitive Arrested in Northeast Iowa
(Zwingle, IA) — An Illinois drug dealer who’s been tracked by U-S Marshals through several states is under arrest in Iowa. Thirty-nine-year-old Untavious Davenport was taken into custody on a farm near the town of Zwingle Wednesday afternoon. Davenport was indicted by a federal grand jury in Missouri for conspiracy to distribute heroin and fentanyl. U-S Marshals were called in after he fled Missouri. Investigators identified Davenport outside a farmhouse after several days of surveillance. He’s being held in the Linn County jail in Cedar Rapids as federal agents seek extradition back to Missouri.
