The Iowa State Patrol reports alcohol and speed were apparently to blame for a single-vehicle rollover accident early Saturday morning in Pottawattamie County, that injured four people. A 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander driven by 21-year old Richard Washington, of Lamoni, was traveling west on Interstate 80 just south of the I-80/I-680 split, when the SUV left the road to the right, at around 4:47-a.m., Saturday.

The vehicle rolled down an embankment and came to rest in a wooded area. The patrol says Richard Washigton and a front seat passenger, were believed to have been ejected from the SUV. Two rear-seat passengers were able to get out of the vehicle, which burst into flames. The vehicle was a total loss. Neola and Minden Fire responded to the scene, along with LifeNet helicopter.

Washington and 21-year old Alexis Koch, of Sanford, Florida, were not wearing their seat belts. Washington was transported by Minden Rescue to Mercy Hospital. Koch was flown by LifeNet to the UNMC in Omaha. Two other victims, 27-year old Larry Reid, and 25-year old Steven Fernandez, both of Lamoni, wore their seat belts. They were transported by Neola Rescue to Mercy Hospital.

EARLVILLE, Iowa (AP) — The trial of a man accused of using a corn rake to kill his wife has been moved from Delaware County to Dubuque County. The Telegraph Herald reports that the judge’s order to move the first-degree murder trial of 43-year-old Todd Mullis was released Friday.

Mullis, who remains in custody on a $5 million bond, had said he couldn’t get a fair trial in Delaware County, where his wife “worked closely with law enforcement” as a nurse.

Mullis has pleaded not guilty. Authorities say he fatally attacked 39-year-old Amy Mullis in November at her farm northwest of Earlville. Authorities initially believed she’d been fatally injured in a fall. An autopsy showed she died after receiving injuries that included multiple stab wounds to her back with a corn rake.

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) — An eastern Iowa man has been charged after police say he threatened to shoot people in his home, including children, as well as police officers. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that 54-year-old Alan Dale Rieken was arrested Thursday evening at his home.

Police say he told others in his home, “I’m going to shoot some cops and then you.”
Police say a woman attempted to intervene and was pushed to the ground without injury. Officers who arrived at the home say Rieken refused to comply with officers’ orders and was eventually arrested. The officers took a handgun from his waistband.

He’s charged with harassment, four counts of endangerment, one count of interference with official acts, one count of domestic abuse assault and one count of intimidation with a dangerous weapon.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A mid-summer heat wave continues to bear down on Nebraska and Iowa, but weather forecasters say a cool front is on the way. Heat indices reached into the triple digits for the third day on Friday, and the National Weather Service says more of the same is on tap for the two states Saturday. The service says a cold front is set to move into Nebraska later Saturday night and into Iowa early Sunday that will also bring rain.

The heat has led to the opening of several cooling centers in Nebraska and Iowa communities. In Omaha, Nebraska, The Salvation Army will open its Kroc Center in the southwestern part of the city starting at 8 a.m. Across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, the American Red Cross is opening another cooling center at the Salem Baptist Church. Cooling center also will be open in Des Moines and Cedar Falls in Iowa.