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 Mar. 24, 2022 5:51 pm1324d ago
The second of two Fairfield teens charged with killing their Spanish teacher has filed an appeal, asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a district judge’s rulings. The judge has suspended the case pending the appeal resolution.
Crime & Courts Mar. 24, 2022 7:26 am1325d ago
Judge halts proceedings for one of the Fairfield teens accused in the killing of a Spanish high school teacher with a baseball bat after his lawyer appealed recent rulings to the Iowa Supreme Court.
Crime & Courts Mar. 22, 2022 6:54 pm1326d ago
A Johnson County jury awarded an Iowa City couple, whose newborn suffered brain damage from actions taken during delivery, nearly $98 million against Mercy Hospital and other defendants.
Crime & Courts Mar. 22, 2022 9:21 am1327d ago
Lawyers for Fairfield teens charged with killing a Spanish teacher argued a reverse waiver hearing shouldn’t be open to the public because confidential documents will be used as evidence. That information could be prejudice to the teens and prevent a fair trial.
Crime & Courts Mar. 18, 2022 5:46 pm1330d ago
A Cedar Rapids leader of a large-scale meth trafficking ring was sentenced Friday to 30 years in federal prison. He operated the ring from 2018 through March 2020.
Crime & Courts Mar. 17, 2022 6:17 pm1331d ago
U.S. marshals arrested a 27-year-old man wanted in Johnson and Mitchell counties on charges of third-degree sexual abuse. He is jailed in Chicago, awaiting extradition to Iowa.
Crime & Courts Mar. 18, 2022 3:10 pm1330d ago
Judge: Victim and her family favored that plea
Crime & Courts Mar. 17, 2022 6:41 pm1331d ago
A Sioux City man was sentenced this week to 18 months in prison for twice selling unapproved erectile dysfunction pills as dietary supplements called “Supermale.”
Crime & Courts Mar. 15, 2022 7:44 pm1333d ago
A Coralville man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for causing a head-on crash that killed a Cedar Rapids woman in 2020. He pleaded to vehicular homicide and other charges.
Crime & Courts Mar. 15, 2022 2:03 pm1333d ago
A Cedar Rapids man, who has previous convictions, was acquitted last week by a federal jury for illegally possessing a handgun that was found in a vehicle he was driving. According to testimony, the car belonged to his sister and the gun belonged to his friend.
Crime & Courts Mar. 15, 2022 6:00 am1334d ago
New Court TV series with Tamron Hall will feature the murder of Ed Thomas, the legendary Aplington/Parkersburg High School football coach, March 27
Crime & Courts Mar. 14, 2022 4:28 pm1334d ago
A North Liberty woman, who was intoxicated and crashed an ATV in a ravine, unintentionally causing the death of her friend, Mary Knight, July 16, 2020, pleaded guilty last week.
Crime & Courts Mar. 14, 2022 6:00 am1335d ago
The federal clerk of court in Cedar Rapids will retire after serving more than 16 years in the Northern District of Iowa. He saw the district through many crisis times — the 2008 flood relocation of the courthouse, the Postville immigration raid court proceedings and the derecho recovery.
Crime & Courts Mar. 11, 2022 5:40 pm1337d ago
An Iowa City man pleaded Friday to fatally shooting a 19-year-old during a robbery last year. Sammy Hamed, 23, originally charged with first-degree murder, pleaded to second-degree murder and faces up to 50 years in prison.
Crime & Courts Mar. 7, 2022 4:52 pm1341d ago
An Iowa City woman was sentenced to probation for taking more than $650,000 from her mother’s bank account on the day she died.

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