One man suffered an injury to the head Monday afternoon in southwest Cedar Rapids, after a suspect shot at him in a parked vehicle. Cedar Rapids Police say it is unclear if the victim was hit and grazed in the head, or his injury was caused by the rounds first hitting the vehicle. The victim is expected to survive but is not cooperating with police. CRPD believes the man was the intended target of the shooting. It happened just before 2 o’clock Monday afternoon in the 600 block of 9th Avenue SW. Gunfire hit the parked vehicle and a home nearby.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department has released more information regarding a deadly Interstate 380 car crash which happened in the early morning hours Sunday. CRPD says an SUV with four people inside was hit by a pickup with only the driver inside. The pickup was traveling south in the northbound lanes of I-380 when the collision occurred. A passenger in the SUV, 23-year-old David Nguyen of Cedar Rapids, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two others in the SUV were taken to the hospital with serious injuries including 20-year-old Rylee Brooke Wallingford of Cedar Rapids. 23-year-old Benjamin Brecht and 22-year-old Skyler McDowell, both of Cedar Rapids, were the others in the SUV. The driver of the pickup has been identified as 34-year-old Tyler Lee of Rockton, Illinois…who is out on bail facing a murder charge stemming from a deadly shooting nearly four years ago. He has been out on bail since November 2017 and was hospitalized following the Sunday morning collision.
A recent order issued by the Iowa Supreme Court will restore the ability of Iowans, who have served their sentence for a felony and had their voting rights restored, to serve on juries. The order interprets Gov. Kim Reynolds’ executive order from last August as extending “citizenship rights” to the ability to be a juror in the state. Until the order was issued, a juror could be dismissed for cause based on a prior felony conviction regardless of the circumstances. Now, if a convicted felon had their rights restored under the rules described in Reynolds order, they may no longer be dismissed for that reason.
An early morning fire that damaged a Cedar Falls home Monday likely started with an outdoor extension cord. Residents at 122 Devlin Circle noticed smoke shortly after 6 o’clock Monday morning and started using a board to beat out flames on the side of the house. Heat from the fire melted siding and the roof soffits and was in danger of entering the attic space. Damage was limited to the exterior. Officials say it appears the fire started when an electrical short in an outdoor extension cord ignited dry leaves beside the house.
A Sunday afternoon fire in Iowa City caused thousands of dollars of damage. Just after 2:30 p.m., firefighters were sent to the 500 block of West Benton Street. Smoke was coming from the house, and the fire was extinguished by 16 firefighters within 15 minutes. No one was hurt, but the home sustained an estimated $15,000 in damage. Investigation into the cause of the fire continues.
A fight at a Waterloo trampoline business drew numerous officers and promoted neighboring businesses to shut down Friday night. Officers were called to Get Air in the 3700 block of University Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. Friday for a large fight inside the establishment. More than 100 people were inside the business when some young people began causing trouble, overwhelming employees. The business closed early due to the problems, but the disturbance moved to the parking lot, with patrons yelling at officers and throwing coins at squad cars, according to police. Nearby establishments locked their doors as a precaution. Officers remained on the scene until around 10 p.m. when the crowds had disbursed. No injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made.
A Waterloo woman has been arrested, accused of taking thousands of dollars in donations intended to help an injured family member. Police say 40-year-old Lindsay Christine Dolan set up a GoFundMe online fundraiser in November 2019 after her brother was hurt in an accident. The account was to collect money to help pay surgery expenses and the cost of rehabilitation, and it raised $3,545 in donations. Then in late November and early December, seven withdrawals were made, effectively emptying the account, which was then closed…but none of the money made it to the injured family member. Dolan originally claimed the account had been hacked, but an investigation found the money was funneled to a bank account set up in her minor child’s name and then spent. Dolan was arrested and later released from jail Monday on one count of second-degree theft.
