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Iowa man accused of shooting dog near boy
SPERRY, Iowa (AP) — A southeast Iowa man faces a felony charge after being accused of shooting a neighboring family's dog while it played near a 10-year-old boy.
Cody Trails Warth, 21, of Sperry, was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of felony second-degree criminal mischief, animal abuse and shooting a rifle across a roadway. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Janice Hine told the Burlington Hawk Eye (http://bit.ly/1gVH2ns) that her 10-year-old son was traumatized by the shooting.
The hunting dog, named Marlow, was on his family's property and was about 15 yards from her son when he was shot in a hind leg, breaking it, she said. The dog underwent surgery and is expected to recover.
"They weren't doing anything wrong," she said. "They were just playing. It just makes no sense to me. I just feel grateful my son wasn't shot."
An arrest affidavit says Des Moines County sheriff's deputies went to Warth's house Thursday evening and questioned him. Deputies said Warth initially denied shooting the dog but later admitted doing so after changing his story several times. Warth's girlfriend, who was at the house at the time of the shooting, also told deputies that Warth shot the dog, the affidavit says.
Investigators did not say what motivated the shooting.
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Western Iowa arena manager says finance improving COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The general manager of the Mid-America Center in western Iowa's Council Bluffs says the arena's financial outlook is improving.
Mark Vacanti with Caesars Entertainment tells the Council Bluffs Nonpareil (http://bit.ly/1gUMG9u) that the city-owned arena and convention facility finished fiscal year 2013 with a $729,000 loss. Vacanti says that was below the average annual loss from the previous 10 years.
But he notes that from October through December, the facility — which sit just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb. — showed a $52,000 profit.
A portion of the $729,000 loss, provided by Caesars' accounting staff, was a company investment of $67,000 for replacing equipment and utilities.
So far this fiscal year, Vacanti says, the Mid-America Center is showing a profit of $19,000.
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Information from: The Daily Nonpareil, http://www.nonpareilonline.comhttp://www.nonpareilonline.com
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Judge orders separate trials for robbery suspects SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has ordered separate trials for three Iowans charged with robbing drug dealers.
One of the defendants, 22-year-old Jamal Dean, is currently serving a 25-year sentence for attempted murder in the shooting last year of a Sioux City police officer.
The Sioux City Journal reports (http://bit.ly/1gULeUChttp://bit.ly/1gULeUC ) that a judge on Friday granted the separate trials requests of Omaha, Neb., attorneys for Dean, 24-year-old Levon Dean Jr., and 33-year-old Sarah Berg. The three were to have been tried together on May 12.
All three are charged with the April 15, 2013, robbery of a drug dealer at a Sioux City motel room. The Dean brothers are also charged with a similar assault and robbery of a second drug dealer a little more than a week later.
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Information from: Sioux City Journal, http://www.siouxcityjournal.comhttp://www.siouxcityjournal.com
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Iowa City police, students connect over hoops IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Basketball is helping students in Iowa City see local police in a whole new light, thanks to the idea of one officer's wife.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports (http://icp-c.com/1gUIRkwhttp://icp-c.com/1gUIRkw ) that South East Junior High students and police officers are getting together on Thursdays after school to play 3-on-3 basketball at nearby Scanlon Gym.
Michelle Cook, a teacher at South East and a police officers' wife, helped create the program after spring break this year and said its aim is to increase the availability of positive activities for students after school.
She says about 50 students have signed up for a spot on seven teams through the six-week program.
Cook says the program has tried to target kids who didn't have much else to do after school.
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Information from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/http://www.press-citizen.com/
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Iowa man sentenced for sexually abusing children DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A 35-year-old Davenport man has been sentenced up to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing two children under the age of 10.
The Quad-City Times reports (http://bit.ly/1gUNuephttp://bit.ly/1gUNuep ) that Carlos Navarrette was sentenced Friday in Scott County District Court. He had pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree sexual abuse and one count of lascivious acts with a child.
Navarrette must serve at least 35 years before he can be released. He also is required to register as a sex offender for life.
Police say Navarrette raped the children multiple times between 2010 and June 1, 2012.
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Information from: Quad-City Times, http://www.qctimes.comhttp://www.qctimes.com
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