A fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Iowa’s fourth largest natural lake went through a number of changes this past year. Ben Wallace says last spring the water in Storm Lake was exceptionally clear.

The water in Storm Lake was green for several weeks, according to Wallace.

Wallace says the water levels in Storm Lake were lower due to the drought and that exacerbated algae growth.

Wallace made his comments during a presentation to the Storm Lake City Council.

(Radio Iowa) – U.S. Marshals arrested a man in Waterloo who has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting in a Minnesota parking garage. Police say a 37-year-old man was shot to death in late August as he fought back while being robbed by four men in St. Paul, Minnesota. A team led by U.S. Marshals in Minnesota and Iowa tracked one of the suspects to Waterloo. According to a news release from the agency, officers saw 30-year-old Franklin Spriggs leaving a house in Waterloo at about noon Friday, they followed him and arrested him in a residential area in Waterloo.

Spriggs faces a charge of second degree murder. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Spriggs has three prior felony convictions for assault and a felony charge related to a crime committed for the benefit of a gang.

(Creston, Iowa) – The owner of a vehicle in Creston reported to Police Friday afternoon, that their vehicle had sustained damage while the owner was out of town. Authorities say the 2015 Chevy Equinox was legally parked in a parking lot at 105 W. Adams Street (Iowa Focus). When the owner returned, she found her vehicle had been struck on the rear left side. The damage was estimated at $1,500.

(Boone, Iowa) – An off-duty Boone Police Officer has died in a traffic accident. The Boone Police Department said on a social media post Officer Mario Gonzalez died in a crash that took place Saturday.

Gonzalez had served as a full-time officer from August 2016 to October of 2019. He has served as a part-time officer since then, and a member of the Iowa Army National Guard.

A memorial fund for the husband, and father of two small children, will be established on Monday through Vision Bank. All funds will go directly to the wife of Mario Gonzalez to use as needed.

Boone Police Officer Mario Gonzalez

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people in a Pontiac Grand Prix were injured when the vehicle they were in crashed into a house early this (Sunday) morning, in Creston. (In an update to our earlier report), the Iowa State Patrol says the car, driven by 34-year-old Matthew Ryan Cross, of Creston, was traveling southbound on Lincoln Street at around 2:05-a.m., at an excessive rate of speed.

When the vehicle crossed Mills Street, it went out of control, passed though a yard, and into a house at 926 Mills Street, before coming to rest on its top. Cross, and his passenger, 25-year-old Shawn M. Wesbrook, of Litchfield, IL., were trapped in the vehicle for a time. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Cross was transported by Mercy  One helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Wesbrook was transported to the Greater Regional Hospital in Creston by Union County EMS. While charges are pending completion of an investigation into the crash, authorities said alcohol appears to be a contributing factor.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest at around 9:10-p.m. Saturday, of 37-year-old Cory Rose Smith, of Elliott.  Smith was taken into custody on two Pottawattamie County warrants for failure to appear on original charges of Driving While Barred. Smith was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, a Cass County woman was arrested once again in Montgomery County.

Red Oak Police report 65-year-old Marcia Elaine Lehman, of Griswold, was arrested at around 6:45-p.m., Saturday, for Violation of a Protection Order. Her cash bond was set at $300. Lehman was also arrested last Monday in Red Oak, on a warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree, and in June, on the same charge.

(Creston, Iowa) – Two people were trapped for a time when a vehicle struck a house in Creston early this (Sunday) morning. The accident happened at around 2:25-a.m., at 926 W. Mills Street.

Additional details on injuries, etc. are currently not available.

Waterloo, Iowa —The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation today (Saturday) identified the man who was shot and killed by police Tuesday in Waterloo, as 42-year-old Brent Lee Boggess. Officials also identified the officer involved in the shooting as Ken Schaaf.

The shooting happened after a short vehicle chase, Tuesday. Police said the chase began when Boggess was spotted driving recklessly and tried to hit an officer’s patrol car. The chase ensued, and several other officers converged to stop his car.

Boggess refused to get out of the car and instead rammed a patrol car, police said. Schaaf then fatally shot him. Schaaf is on leave pending completion of the investigation, per department policy.

(Radio Iowa) – The Wild Rose Clinton casino has agreed to a fine for a violation involving the self exclusion gambling law. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilkoh, says the violation involved casino mailings. “There was an incident where a patron had contacted Wild Rose and indicated they were receiving promotional mailings — that this patron was on the statewide self exclusion list,” Ohorilko says. He says casinos have a grace period to get new self exclusion sign-ups into their system.

“And this person was receiving mailings after that period of time. An investigation of the matter actually led to a breakdown in the screening of the list that Wild Rose Clinton had and provided to their mail house,” Ohorilko says. He says the investigation found a total of 12 people who should have been on the list, but weren’t.

Ohorilko says Wild Rose Clinton has taken steps to correct the issue and they agreed to a ten-thousand-dollar fine for the violation.

AMES, Iowa/KCCI —Iowa State University alerted students of a third sexual assault that occurred in the past week. Authorities said the sexual assault occurred in the early hours of Friday morning at Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at Iowa State University. According to the fraternity, the victim told another fraternity member and a resident advisor about the sexual assault. The sexual assault was reported to Iowa State officials.

In a post on Facebook, the fraternity said “The alleged assault was not in conjunction with any ATO activity or event. Once informed of the situation, our chapter’s leadership began the swift and immediate process of removing this member from the chapter, resulting in his full dissociation with Alpha Tau Omega.”

The incident marked the third sexual assault reported at Iowa State in the past week. Last weeke, two different sexual assaults were reported at Martin Hall and Willow Hall. The Iowa State Police Department has reported nine sexual assaults since the beginning of the semester, however more have been reported through the Ames Police Department.