Trish Mehaffey

A judge will not accept a teen’s plea to two charges in a fatal drag racing crash that killed a Waterloo woman in 2023, ruling he found “deficiencies” in the trial information — causing confusion over the number of charges against the teen.

A Coralville man is convicted of assaulting a jail officer in Muscatine County while the officer was conducting an investigation about contraband coming into the jail.

One of the Iowa City teens charged in fatal drag racing crash pleaded to homicide by vehicle - reckless driving. It’s a 10-year prison sentence but it will be suspended and he will serve probation, according to plea agreement.

A judge ruled to move a teen, accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl, to the Johnson County Jail, pending a bed becoming available at the Linn County Juvenile Center. He will be kept away from the adult inmates. He was moved from the juvenile facility in Cherokee because of “assaultive” behavior.

A Cedar Rapids man who attempted to solicit sex from a 14-year-old boy, who was actually an undercover police officer targeting child predators online, pleaded guilty Thursday. He faces up to 14 years in prison. He was one of seven arrested in the police sting.

One of the teens charged in a fatal drag racing crash that killed a 22-year-old Waterloo woman, submitted written pleas to two charges, but the prosecution asked the court to reject the pleas because they didn’t agree to them.

Union officials say 2 correctional officers at Iowa State Penitentiary were “violently attacked” Monday by an inmate during a routine procedure. The correctional officers across the state are being asked to work in dangerous and understaffed conditions, officials said.

A Marion man who is charged with killing four people with a metal pipe in June told law enforcement that “he felt better after this and the pain in his head was no longer there,” according to an unsealed search warrant. Detectives found him sitting on a sidewalk near the crime scene when they arrived.

Prosecutors plan to propose a law for assault by groping because in current law it can only be charged as a simple assault - the same as if you pushed or shoved a victim. Many times these groping incidents are “traumatic” for the victims but don’t rise to the level of sexual abuse, as defined by Iowa law.

Trial for Andrew Shaw, accused of hiring two men to kill Chris Bagley in 2018, has been bumped to Feb. 4. The trial was previously set for Nov. 5. Defense said it needed more time to prepare for trial.

A Pennsylvania man was convicted this week for making false claims against his fantasy football player rival after they had an online dispute. He told authorities his rival planned a mass shooting in Oslo, Norway, and bombing at the University of Iowa.

A Des Moines man was sentenced to 20 years for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl between 2021 and 2023. Her parents gave heart-wrenching statements, telling the judge of the long-lasting harm he caused.

The unsolved murder of Willie Brocks, who was fatally shot in November 1999 has come full circle for a Cedar Rapids investigator who responded to the crime scene as a rookie and now has been actively following up on the case. He has a person of interest who may be able to identify the shooter.

A Cedar Rapids man was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for possessing gun as felon. He has a lengthy history of gun violence and assaultive behavior.

One of the Fairfield teens convicted of killing their Spanish teacher is asking the Iowa Supreme Court to resentence him without a mandatory minimum of his life sentence. He argues its cruel and unusual punishment.