116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Prosecutors’ 2024 stats show homicides dropped 60 percent, along with other violent crime
Stats look at charges over three-year period
Jan. 15, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Jan. 15, 2025 7:23 am
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS — The Linn County Attorney’s Office continued to see significant decreases in violent and serious crime in 2024, as homicide charges dropped nearly 60 percent, as did robberies by 40 percent and burglaries by 23 percent since 2022.
The year-end statistics released Wednesday by the office also show firearm offenses dropped 14 percent. And eluding offenses, which the office made a priority in 2020 and led efforts making laws tougher across the state, decreased 22 percent over three years.
“Eluding offenses present an egregious and completely preventable risk to public safety, Maybanks said. “These crimes were increasing and we had to do something about it so we developed policies to crack down on offenders and the laws strengthened.”
Maybanks helped draft bills turned into eluding laws. In 2020 the law change increased penalties for repeat offenders, and in 2023 the change made any eluding offense where the offender exceeds the speed limit by 25 mph or more a felony.
Maybanks told The Gazette this week the sex abuse charges were the only exception to declines in crime because those offenses increased. However, it was mostly due to “an investigative operation focused on individuals soliciting children,” he noted.
Cedar Rapids police set up spoof profiles to pose online as minors and waited for individuals to interact with the accounts. There were eight initial charges, but the police sting has been ongoing and a total of 18 were charged in 2024.
Without those additional cases, there would have been 37 sex abuse charges filed, which is a 25 percent decrease over two years, Maybanks pointed out.
Those cases include charges of enticing a minor, sex exploitation and prostitution.
“The low crime numbers recently reported by the Cedar Rapids Police Department carried over into our office as well, Maybanks said. “Law enforcement numbers are based on crimes reported, whereas our numbers are based on crimes where the investigations result in criminal charges.”
The overall crime charges filed in 2024: Felonies went from 974 in 2022; 969 in 2023; and 890 in 2024. Misdemeanors showed a slight increase from 2,849 in 2022; 2,824 in 2023; and 3,002 in 2024.
Guilty verdicts, pleas in 10 high-profile homicide cases
Last year also was successful for prosecutors in the courtroom as they obtained guilty verdicts in seven trials and three guilty pleas in 10 high-profile homicide cases. Maybanks led four of those prosecutions last year.
- Kazius Childress, 22, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the middle of his trial for first-degree murder and was sentenced on April 19, for the fatal shooting of death of Cordal Lewis, 19. Maybanks and assistant prosecutor Jen Erger prosecuted Childress.
- Brannon Johnson, 22, of Cedar Rapids, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder in March for killing Jorge Maldonado-Vasquez, 27. He was prosecuted by First Assistant Linn County Attorney Monica Slaughter and assistant prosecutor Alex Anderson.
- Duval T. Walker Jr., 30, of Cedar Rapids, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder in March for fatally shooting Cameron Barnes, 33. He was prosecuted by Assistant Linn County Attorneys Andrew Powers and Heidi Weiland.
- George Deason, 53, of Cedar Rapids, was found guilty in a bench trial — by a judge — of second-degree murder in March for killing his mother, Elsie Deason, 71. He was prosecuted by Powers and assistant prosecutor Katherine Shimkat.
- Kyle Kubite, 45, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and sentenced in March for causing the death of Bonnie Stover, 59. Slaughter prosecuted this case.
- Keyun McGowan, 18, of Marion, was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder in March for the fatal shooting of Cristian Upah, 17. He was prosecuted by Criminal Division Head Jordan Schier and Anderson.
- Shane Teslik, 38, of Cedar Rapids, was found guilty by a jury of voluntary manslaughter in April for the fatal stabbing of Devonna Walker, 29. Maybanks and Slaughter prosecuted this case.
- Curtis Padgett, 42, of Cedar Rapids, was found guilty in a bench trial — by a judge — in a cold case from of first-degree murder in May for killing Dennis First, 64, in 2007. He was prosecuted by Assistant Linn County Attorneys Molly Edwards and Erger.
- Kazius Childress, 22, of Cedar Rapids, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in August and was sentenced in October for fatally shooting Kavon Johnson, 22. Maybanks and Erger prosecuted this case.
- McKinley Louisma, 23, of Hiawatha, was found guilty in November by a jury of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and conspiracy to Commit a Forcible Felony for killing Melody Hoffman, 20. Maybanks and Slaughter prosecuted this case.
“We should also acknowledge the dedication of our local law enforcement departments and the hardworking prosecutors in our office who are committed to public safety, justice and victims,” Maybanks said. “We believe our record of convictions and just results speaks for itself. The teamwork between law enforcement and our prosecutors deserves the highest commendation.”
Prosecutors’ caseloads top national average
In the coming years, Maybanks said he would like to see the caseloads for each prosecutor decrease because they remain above the national average, and the office hasn’t been able to add a prosecutor due to budget constraints since 2020.
He did request an additional prosecutor and victim witness coordinator positions in the 2025 budget, but he said he doesn’t know if those will be approved. The final budget is pending the Linn County Board of Supervisors’ decision.
In 2023, the average caseload per attorney each year was 185, Maybanks said. The number went down to 170 in 2024, but the American Bar Association recommends a caseload of 150 per year for felony prosecutors.
Even with the decreases in violent crime, which Maybanks noted he can’t count on continuing, the homicide prosecutions won’t slow down much this year. The five prosecutors who handle felonies have 10 murder and five vehicular homicide trials set for this year, as well as other trials.
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters