116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Trish Mehaffey
Reporter covering state and federal courts, and whatever legal issues come my way. I also provide live coverage of criminal trials on Twitter @tmehaffey and welcome comments and questions from readers during the trials. Outside of work I love movies, tennis and my Kansas State Wildcats! Go Cats! Stay informed with the Public Safety newsletter.
Latest Articles by Trish Mehaffey
Crime & Courts Sep. 20, 2023 7:41 am849d ago
A 19-year-old Cedar Rapids man was sentenced to 25 years for a vehicular homicide and a shooting incident in 2022. He faced up to 50 years but received a plea deal because he was 18 at the time.
Crime & Courts Sep. 19, 2023 9:47 am850d ago
One former UI basketball player and two former football players each plead to a lesser charge of underage gambling. They must pay $645 fine.
Crime & Courts Sep. 22, 2023 10:53 am847d ago
Katy Rasmussen took on the role as the sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator to give back to the community and support sexual assault survivors. She leads the UI SANE program, which includes 15 other nurse examiners in Johnson County.
Crime & Courts Sep. 15, 2023 5:30 pm853d ago
Former Hawkeye receiver, Arland Bruce IV, pleaded guilty Friday to the lesser charge of underage gambling. He faces up to a $645 fine.
Crime & Courts Sep. 15, 2023 10:18 am854d ago
Four teens accused of fatally shooting Michael McCune, 16, of Cedar Rapids, in February are moving through the juvenile and adult court justice system. One has pleaded guilty, one wants to go back to juvenile court and two have trials scheduled.
Crime & Courts Sep. 14, 2023 1:31 pm854d ago
He and his wife face up to 5 years in prison.
Crime & Courts Sep. 12, 2023 2:37 pm856d ago
A Johnson County magistrate ruled a North Liberty teen driving a sports utility vehicle who hit a jogger in a marked Iowa City crosswalk is guilty of failure to yield to a pedestrian, a simple misdemeanor. The teen faces a fine up to $1,000, a driver's license suspension of up to 180 days or both, according to police.
Crime & Courts Sep. 8, 2023 7:29 pm860d ago
A Cedar Rapids man, who sent threatening FB messages to a federal prosecutor and fired flares at the federal courthouse, was sentenced this week to over 6 years in prison.
Crime & Courts Sep. 6, 2023 6:15 pm862d ago
A Linn County jury found a Cedar Rapids man guilty of 13 charges for pointing, and aiming a shotgun at two police officers in July 2022. He faces up to 83 years in prison.
Crime & Courts Sep. 6, 2023 9:06 pm862d ago
A Hiawatha man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for charges stemming from him shooting at his ex-girlfriend’s SUV, in which their 5-year-old son was a passenger. The woman says the multiple bullets “narrowly missed us both.”
Crime & Courts Sep. 5, 2023 5:26 pm863d ago
A Cedar Rapids man who led police on a high speed chase and then pointed a shotgun at two officers last year revealed details of the night that he told police he couldn’t remember. He also told a jury that his plan was to have police kill him.
Crime & Courts Sep. 1, 2023 6:13 pm867d ago
A man on trial this week for pointing a shotgun at officers and discharging the gun, told an investigator he had no memory of leading them on high speed chase or being shot.
Crime & Courts Sep. 1, 2023 12:04 pm867d ago
Two meth leaders were each sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for their roles in bringing 500 pounds of the drug to Iowa.
Crime & Courts Aug. 31, 2023 6:11 pm868d ago
Two Cedar Rapids police officers testified Thursday about being forced to shoot Brandon Nelson, who had led officers on a high-speed chase, and then pointed a shotgun at them when he stopped and got out of his vehicle.
Crime & Courts Aug. 31, 2023 7:33 am869d ago
A Cedar Rapids police officer said Brandon Nelson, on trial this week for attempted murder and 12 other charges, came at him head-on during a high speed chase last year. Two officers will testify this week that Nelson also racked and pointed a shotgun at them when he finally stopped.

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