IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The husband of an Iowa health care administrator has been charged with first-degree murder in her April death. Records show that 67-year-old Iowa City businessman Roy Browning, Jr. was arrested and booked at the Johnson County Jail on Monday. Browning is charged in the death of his wife of 42 years, JoEllen Browning, who was found dead at their home on April 5.

Authorities say she died from “sharp force injuries ” inflicted by an assailant. JoEllen Browning had been the director of operating budgets at University of Iowa Health Care, where she had worked for decades. Detectives from the Division of Criminal Investigation and the Iowa City Police Department had worked on the case for months. The criminal complaint against Roy Browning wasn’t immediately available.

There was another explosion during a baby’s gender reveal announcement in Iowa, recently. According to KCCI-TV, the incident took place Sunday evening, in Waukee. Waukee police Sgt. Brian Murra confirms the explosion happened off Ute Avenue between Westown Parkway, which turns into 312th, and Ashworth Road. No injuries were reported. This past Saturday, a gender reveal explosion in Knoxville, claimed the life of 56-year-old Pamela Kreimeyer, when she was hit in the head with metal shrapnel and killed instantly. The incident occurred when what was essentially an inadvertent pipe bomb, detonated.

Authorities are warning people to not add to or make your own gender reveal kits, and to not use explosives.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa saw a record number of coyotes taken last year and a D-N-R fur-bearer biologist says they remain the hot animal to hunt and trap. Vince Evelsizer says there were more than 18-thousand coyotes taken last year. “Typically it’s been 12 to 13 thousand in recent years, which is higher than recent years before that. Twenty or 30 years ago — that would have been unheard of,”Evelsizer says. The 18-thousand was well above the previous record of 15-thousand-347.

Evelsizer says several things have put the coyote in the spotlight. “In the last few years the fur market for coyotes has remained good — and then at the same time there’s more T-V shows, videos — and the hunting industry has developed gear a little more specifically predator hunting,” Evelsizer says. “And so it’s just kind of caught on. It’s become more popular, all those things have just kind of come together and it’s made coyote hunting and coyote trapping more popular than ever.”

He says coyotes have a key place in the food chain here. “As a whole, coyotes are the largest carnivore and canine that we have in Iowa. Typically an adult will weigh up to 35 pounds or so. A few can get bigger than that — but on average — an adult male coyote is round 30 to 35 pounds,” according to Everlsizer. “So, they are like a medium-sized dog if you are trying to picture what they look like.” He says they start adding some weight in the fall and their fur becomes “prime” or very thick so the animals can make it through winter. There are a variety of other fur-bearing animals hunted in Iowa. “Raccoons are still up there as probably the number two species most targeted. And after that it is probably a mix of mink and muskrat, and red fox, things like that,” Evelsizer says.

He says the majority of the fur-bearers in Iowa are doing very well. “Either their population is currently stable or trending up slightly — it depends on which species. There’s only two species that are a concern, gray fox or muskrat,” Evelsizer says. “Gray fox, the population has declined fairly drastically.” He says they want to do a study to try and determine why the gray fox population is dropping. Evelsizer says the muskrat population has been declining across the Midwest — but has seen an uptick in some states — and is not as big a concern.

The fur-bearer season for most species opens November 2nd. The coyote season is continuous. The D-N-R reports Iowa ranks in the top five states for the number of licensed fur-harvesters per capita, averaging around 14-thousand-500 each year for the last three years.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports there were three arrests, Monday. 31-year old Jeffrey Hoffman, of Creston, was arrested at his home Monday morning, on three Union County warrants for: two counts of Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, and Burglary in the 3rd Degree – Motor Vehicle related. His bond was set at $2,600 altogether.

40-year old Sheri Jo Watters, of Creston, was arrested on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Escape from Custody. She was being held in the Adams County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, 39-year old Jennifer Beard, of Creston, was arrested for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. She was also cited for Trespass. Beard was released from custody on a $300 bond.

Creston Police said also, a man residing in the 200 block of S. Sumner Street reported Monday, that sometime between 5:30-a.m. and 10:30-a.m. that day, someone took tools, a tool case and copper drill bits from his garage. The loss was estimated at $100.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A traffic stop at around 10-p.m. Monday, in Red Oak, resulted in a citation on a drug charge, of a man from Imogene. After 20-year old Trevor Dylan Cowell was pulled over, Red Oak Police located marijuana in his car. He was cited for possession of marijuana, and released.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 52-year old Kenneth Eugene Johns, who was convicted of violation of Prohibited Acts: Manufacturing, Delivery, Possession- Counterfeit Substances, Simulated Controlled Substances, Imitation Controlled Substances and other crimes, in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Residential Facility as required Monday night.

Kenneth Johns

Johns is a white male, height 5’11”, and weighs 190 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on August 6, 2019. Persons with information on Johns’ whereabouts should contact local police.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in Iowa and Nebraska have responded to numerous vehicle crashes as the season’s first widespread snow turned roads icy. Police in Lincoln say they responded to more than a dozen crashes in the span of two hours because of the overnight snow. The Iowa State Patrol says ice completely covered roads near the Interstate 80 and Interstate 880 interchange, and two semi-tractor trailers rolled over. At 6:20-a.m., the IA DOT reported I480 westbound, between Exit 53B: US 6; I-29 and the end of I-480 (Council Bluffs, was reduced to one lane, due to a crash.

Lincoln police say at least 14 crashes were reported in their area between 11 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday, with vehicles sliding off roadways and a handful of rollover accidents. City crews were called to apply brine and sand to slick spots ahead of the morning commute.

WAVERLY, Iowa (AP) — A Minnesota man faces multiple charges after a weekend chase in Iowa in which he allegedly crashed into a county sheriff’s squad car. Authorities say 59-year-old Richard Eugene Dennehey, of Brainerd, Minnesota, was arrested Saturday for operating while intoxicated, felony eluding while intoxicated, marijuana and paraphernalia possession and driving with his license revoked.

Authorities say the chase began in Fayette County around 12:25 a.m. Saturday and eventually ended in Bremer County. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the chase.
Authorities allege that Dennehey struck a Bremer County patrol car during the pursuit. Bremer County, Iowa authorities say more charges are pending.