Theft charges dismissed against man killed in Tama County crash

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Linn County Attorney's Office dismissed theft charges Thursday against a 26-year-old Toledo man killed in a head-on collision Monday in Tama County.

Joseph Starits was charged last November with second-degree theft, according to a criminal complaint. He was accused of stealing more than $2,700 from a former employer Burger King, 390 Edgewood Road NW, last March.

The monetary amount was documented and there was video surveillance of some of the  transactions, according to the complaint.

Laine R. Dennison, 47, of North Liberty, was driving west on Highway 30 near the Highway 21 junction just north of Belle Plaine about 2:10 p.m. Monday when his truck crossed into the oncoming lane and collided with a minivan driven by Starits, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

Starits was killed in the crash. His wife Elizabeth Starits, 24, and the couple's infant  Tristan Starits were taken to Marshalltown Medical & Surgical Center, where Dennison was also taken. All three have been discharged from the hospital.

Dennison, a bail bondsman, may face charges  police say charges are pending against Dennison, whose pickup crossed Highway 30's centerline Monday afternoon in Tama County and collided head-on with a minivan, killing its driver.

Dennison has 38 speeding convictions in the state, according to Courts Online. His driving permit was revoked last September, according to the state Department of Transportation.