A federal judge in Washington says a man from Iowa seen prominently in videos taunting a U.S. Capitol police officer during the Jan. 6 disturbance at the U.S. Capitol must remain in custody. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly Friday halted the release of Douglas Jensen that had been ordered by a federal magistrate in Iowa the day before. The Iowa judge had allowed Jensen’s release to home confinement in Des Moines but gave federal prosecutors time to appeal. Judge Kelly issued another order requiring U.S. Marshals to bring Jensen to Washington from Iowa “forthwith.”
As we told you previously, Waterloo Police Chief Joel Fitzgerald, Sr. had applied for the same position in both Miami and Albuquerque…now, reports are that while he made the list of qualified candidates, he was not one of the three finalists for the job in New Mexico. The Miami search apparently continues. Fitzgerald started his job in Waterloo in June 2020. He was previously police chief in Fort Worth, Texas for four years.
The 21-year-old woman found dead Friday morning near an Iowa State University sorority was the daughter of a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice and the CEO of a health care system there. Olivia Chutich was found unconscious in the parking lot at Delta Delta Delta Sorority at Iowa State just before 10 a.m. Friday. Police pronounced her dead at the scene. She was a member of the sorority and police believe she had been there since the early morning hours. Police did not release an exact cause of death, but investigators do not believe there was any type of assault. They also think the community is not in danger.
Someone caught lottery fever…an unknown man stole two lottery ticket machines from a Waterloo convenience store shortly midnight last Wednesday. The man entered B and B East in the 1600 block of Bishop St., around 11:45 p.m. shortly before the business normally closed. He pretended to be a service employee working on the machines, and left with two lottery ticket dispensers. Store officials called police the next morning when they discovered it was a scam.
Northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 63 in Bremer County were closed for about four hours Friday following a two vehicle accident at the intersection of U. S. Highway 63 and 160th Street. Around 10 o’clock Friday morning, a dump truck pulling a dump trailer driven by 57-year-old Mark Ackerson of Sumner was traveling north on Highway 63 and turning east onto 160th Street. A semi and tanker trailer driven by 64-year-old Gregory Korfe of Long Prairie, Minnesota was also traveling north on Highway 63 and rear-ended the Ackerson vehicle. Korfe was transported to a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota by AirCare.
Black Hawk County deputies were called to a three-vehicle collision at the 11000 block of La Porte Road just before 6 p.m. Friday. Two vehicles were stopped at an intersection when a car rammed into a pickup from behind, causing a chain reaction into the first vehicle. The drivers of the car and the pickup caught in the middle were both taken to a Waterloo hospital for treatment. The three men driving the three vehicles were not identified, but deputies say all three live in La Porte City.
Iowa Democrats have a new state party chair…he’s current state representative Ross Wilburn. The Davenport native represents Ames and District 46 in the state legislature. He is a former mayor of Iowa City, as well. Leadership elections are held every two years following the election cycle. The new party leaders will assume their roles immediately. Party officials note Wilburn will be the first black chair in state party history.
Two people are in custody in connection with a Cedar Rapids man’s death that authorities say was staged to look like a suicide. Police say 44-year-old Randal Joseph Campbell was found dead June 21, 2019, with an air rifle positioned on his lap and torso. Investigators determined the scene was staged to appear to be a suicide. 28-year-old Joshua Conklin has been charged with second-degree murder and obstructing justice in Campbell’s death. He was transferred to the Linn County jail on Friday. Campbell’s niece, Felisha Campbell, was dating Conklin at the time of the death. She is accused of conspiring with Conklin to obstruct the investigation.
The former CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa has been arrested on three felony charges, accusing her of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the charity that supports sick children. Jennifer Woodley turned herself in on Thursday and was booked at the Polk County Jail in Des Moines on two counts of first-degree theft and the unauthorized use of a credit card. She was released on bond. Police say the 40-year-old secretly awarded herself a $10,000 bonus in October 2019 that had not been approved by the organization’s board. In addition, Woodley is accused of making 84 unauthorized purchases on an organization credit card that were for her personal use, totaling more than $23,000 over a 10-month span. She now lives in North Carolina.
