(Greenfield, Iowa) – An investigation in Adair County that began June 9th with a reported crash and the recovery of a stolen vehicle, has resulted in the arrest of a man from Omaha. Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports that at 5:42 p.m., Monday (June 20) the Adair County Sheriff’s Office served two arrest warrants upon 25 year-old Luis Penaloza Garcia of Omaha, Nebraska upon his release from a Des Moines Hospital, Monday evening. The charges for which the two arrest warrants were issued, include: Burglary in the 2nd Degree; Theft in the 1 st Degree; Theft in the 2nd Degree; and Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. The total bond for all charges has been set at $70,000 CASH ONLY to the Court.

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Luis Penaloza Garcia

(Casey, Iowa) -A person (later identified as Luis Penaloza Garcia) who allegedly tried to break into a home in Adair County was shot by the occupant of the home, early Thursday morning (June 9). According to the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, at around 3:18-a.m., the Adair County Communications Center received a cellular 911 call reporting a vehicle in the median of Interstate 80 near the Adair rest areas in Adair County. An Adair County sheriff’s deputy responded and shortly after his arrival, determined that the crashed vehicle had previously been reported as stolen to the Omaha Police Department. Officers from the Stuart Police Department and their K9 unit were summoned to assist in locating the driver of the stolen vehicle.

At approximately 4:30-a.m.,  the Adair County Communications Center received a cellular 911 call from a rural residence southwest of Casey, in Adair County. The occupant of the home reported that someone had tried to break into his home and that he, the occupant of the residence, had shot the suspected intruder (Penaloza Garcia). Officers searching for the driver of the stolen vehicle, who were in the immediate area, responded and administered first aid to the wounded Garcia. Adair Rescue and the Adair County Ambulance responded to the scene to provide additional medical aid. Penaloza Garcia had been transported by an Air-Ambulance to a Des Moines area hospital where he received treatment for multiple gun shot wounds.

It should be noted that a criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.