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 Feb. 1, 2022 7:04 pm1375d ago
A Georgia man pleaded to assaulting an airport security officer at the Eastern Iowa Airport in 2019 when officers found drugs and nearly $38,000 cash in his luggage.
Crime & Courts Feb. 1, 2022 1:25 pm1375d ago
A Cedar Rapids man failed to appear last week on a charge of threatening a Linn County prosecutor because he was upset that his friend was convicted for killing Chris Bagley in 2018.
Campaigns & Elections Jan. 31, 2022 6:01 pm1376d ago
Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness announced Monday she won’t seek re-election in November and will retire at the end of the year. She was the first woman elected to the office and has served 15 years as the top prosecutor.
Crime & Courts Jan. 31, 2022 4:22 pm1376d ago
A Coralville man was convicted Monday of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl. He faces up to 10 years in prison. He plans to ask for a deferred judgment - meaning no prison time, only probation.
Crime & Courts Jan. 31, 2022 5:07 pm1376d ago
An Urbana man, who was driving intoxicated, was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for running over and killing a woman in the parking lot of a bar in Center Point in 2019.
Crime & Courts Jan. 28, 2022 7:38 pm1379d ago
Two teens responsible for killing a University of Iowa student, Malik Sheets, 20, during a party June 18, 2020, were sentenced to prison time Friday. Christian Emedi was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Marshawn Jeffries was sentenced to five years. Emedi was the actual shooter. Jeffries had a gun at the party and threatened others.
Crime & Courts Jan. 27, 2022 1:08 pm1380d ago
A former Fairfield man nabbed by internet task force officers for distributing child porn was sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison. He also must pay each of the 11 identified victims $3,000 in restitution.
Crime & Courts Jan. 28, 2022 9:42 am1380d ago
Aaron McCreight, former president and CEO of defunct GoCR tourism agency, admitted to providing inflated numbers of ticket sales, revenue to get a bigger loan to fund ‘newbo evolve,’ which resulted in $2.3 million loss.
Crime & Courts Jan. 26, 2022 8:55 pm1381d ago
The former finance director of the defunct Go Cedar Rapids was convicted for his part in the scheme to defraud a local bank in loan used to pay the failed Newbo Evolve music and cultural event i 2018.
Crime & Courts Jan. 25, 2022 5:05 pm1382d ago
Nick Maybanks announces his run as the next elected Linn County attorney to lead the office. He was appointed by the Board of Xupervisors earlier this month to finish out Jerry Vander Sanden’s term, which ends in December. The top prosecutor is an elected position and will be on the November ballot.
Crime & Courts Jan. 24, 2022 6:14 pm1383d ago
A Cedar Rapids fugitive who fled the area in 2014 was extradited back last week and will face charges of selling synthetic marijuana and operating an illegal gambling business.
Crime & Courts Jan. 21, 2022 5:52 pm1386d ago
A federal judge gave a former registered nurse, who stole fentanyl from workplace to feed her own addiction, a lesser sentence of year years probation. Sabrina Thalblum faced more than two years in prison.
Crime & Courts Jan. 21, 2022 5:32 pm1386d ago
A Woodbury man, who was sentenced Friday to over 29 years for taking sexually explicit photos of a 13-year-old and sharing them online with an undercover police officer, told a judge he was “excited” to go to prison.
Crime & Courts Jan. 19, 2022 6:38 pm1388d ago
A magistrate and a defense attorney have been nominated as the next 6th Judicial District judge. One will replace Judge Mary Chicchelly, who was appointed last month to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
Crime & Courts Jan. 19, 2022 10:01 pm1388d ago
A Cedar Rapids teenager charged with fatally stabbing his parents in October may claim insanity and diminished responsibility at trial. A defense attorney says it’s tough to prove and rarely successful in Iowa.

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