Grimes man gets 50 years for trying to kill 3 Cedar Rapids police officers

CEDAR RAPIDS — A 49-year-old Grimes man faces 50 years in prison — a life sentence based on his age — for trying to kill three Cedar Rapids police officers during a standoff in February.

Christopher Mark Kern pleaded last week to three charges of attempted murder of a police officer. He was sentenced Friday to the convictions.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Jason Besler ran two of the 25-year sentences consecutively and the third concurrently to those for a total of 50 years in prison. Because the crimes were committed against police officers, Kern must serve 100 percent of the 50 years before being eligible for parole.

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Besler, who followed the plea agreement in his order, said it was an appropriate sentence for a “heinous and horrible” crime. He noted it was “luck or grace” that the shooting didn’t lead to an officer being injured or killed. Kern declined to make a statement during the hearing.

The Cedar Rapids officers who exchanged gunfire with Kern on Feb. 19 didn’t provide a victim impact statement.

During the plea hearing last week, Kern admitted he intentionally and without justification tried to cause the death of two officers, Grant Heinrichs and Weston Wery, and an investigator, Christopher Christy. Heinrichs and Christy returned fire. The officers nor Kern were injured.

Earlier this week, Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks, who reviewed the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation report on the officer-involved shooting, said the officers were justified in using deadly force against Kern.

According to Maybanks’ report, Kern had contacted his son before the standoff and told him he planned to die from being shot by officers. Kern shot at the officers multiple times as they attempted to contact him in the apartment when they went to arrest him on a warrant.

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Judge Besler dismissed Kern’s remaining charges as agreed in the plea. The remaining charges were three counts of assault on persons in certain occupations, possession of a firearm by a felon and interference with official acts/armed with firearm; two counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon; and one count each of going armed with intent, person ineligible to carry dangerous weapon and use of a dangerous weapon in commission of a crime.

February standoff

According to criminal complaints, police officers received information Feb. 19 that Kern had warrants for his arrest in Polk County and was staying at The Chelsea Apartments at 525 Valor Way SW, which is behind the Cedar Rapids Police Department headquarters.

He was staying with a tenant, Glen Alba Laxamana, 45, but Laxamana initially told police Kern wasn’t there. However, he was taken to the department were he admitted Kern was inside the apartment with firearms, narcotics and body armor, according to police.

A standoff started after Kern fired at the officers when they attempted to contact him as they were getting a search warrant to enter the apartment. Officers could see the man inside the apartment from outside the building.

The officers told Kern they were in the hallway while taking cover to protect themselves. At some point, Kern stepped out of the apartment with a rifle and started shooting at them. Officers returned fire and Kern fired more rounds by pointing the gun out of the door and firing toward them.

Kern, still inside the apartment, then fired shots into the interior wall in an attempt to shoot the officers in the hallway.

Over the next several hours, Kern continued to refuse officers’ negotiation efforts to get him to come out of the apartment.

Ultimately, the door was blown open and a robot was used to enter. The robot found Kern, hiding under bed covers, and he was arrested.

Officers found three firearms — an AR-15 rifle used by Kern during the standoff, a 9 mm Taurus handgun and a .32 caliber revolver — near him in the apartment.

Kern, during a police interview, admitted he knew officers were in the apartment building and he was firing at them.

Previous and subsequent charges

Kern was convicted of willful injury in Polk County in 2000 and was prohibited from possessing firearms. He has pending drug and drug-related charges in Polk from 2024.

Kern also has pending separate charges in Linn County for trying to escape from Linn County sheriff’s deputies who were taking him to the dentist on March 25. He also assaulted the two deputies. He is charged with escape from custody, a Class D felony, and assault on person in certain occupation — bodily injury and interference with official acts — bodily injury, both aggravated misdemeanors.

Laxamana also was charged with accessory after the fact, an aggravated misdemeanor, and interference with official acts, a simple misdemeanor.

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