SAC COUNTY, Iowa (KCRG) – On Thursday, the Sac County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 2400 mile of Otter Avenue after receiving a report that over 1,000 dead pigs were discovered between two confinement sites. Officials say 33-year-old Elana Laber was employed to maintain two confinement sites. Laber initially told officials that someone had shut off the breaker that controls the electricity the night before, causing their deaths. An inspection found that the pigs had been dead for at least a week. They were in different stages of decomposition and had no access to feed or water. Laber reportedly told law enforcement later that she knew the pigs were dead for a week but did not know what to do. The estimated loss is more than $150,000. Laber has been charged with two counts of criminal mischief in the first degree, and two counts of livestock neglect.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The family of an 11-year old boy who died on a water ride at the Altoona, Iowa amusement park Adventureland a year ago has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in state court alleging the park failed to properly maintain and repair its rides. David and Sabrina Jaramillo, of Cedar Rapids and three of their children filed the lawsuit Thursday. They and 11-year old Michael Jaramillo were on the Raging River ride at the park on July 3, 2021, when the raft carrying all six family members flipped over trapping them beneath the water. Michael Jaramillo drowned and other family members were injured. The family seeks monetary damages for negligence. An attorney for the park says safety has always been a priority and a number of extraordinarily unusual factors came together to cause the accident.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed a long-standing precedent that allowed landowners to sue for damages when a neighboring hog farm causes water pollution or odor problems that affect quality of life. A majority of the court concluded Thursday that a 2004 decision was wrong. The reversal is a significant blow to property owners who live in rural areas who want to take legal action over expanding hog farms. It’s a victory for the agriculture industry in Iowa because it strengthens the immunity law protecting livestock farmers from nuisance lawsuits. Iowa is the nation’s leading pork producer with 23 million pigs.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The home of a fallen Iowa State Trooper has been paid off in full, thanks to a nonprofit organization. Tunnel to Towers Foundation announced on Thursday it has fully paid off the family’s mortgage. The Iowa State Patrol said Trooper Ted Benda was responding to a call for service when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer while driving at high speed. He later died from his injuries. Trooper Benda had served in state law enforcement for more than 16 years. He is survived by his wife, Holly, and their four daughters. His youngest daughter was born in September 2021. In a press release, the nonprofit said its Fallen First Responder Home Program pays off mortgages for the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed in the line of duty, leaving behind young children.
