PALO, Iowa (KCRG) – Law enforcement officials are working to determine the cause and manner of death of a woman in Palo. On Friday, July 15, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check on a home in Palo, located at 3397 64th Street. Deputies located Jodie Bevans, 58, deceased inside of the home. Officials considered the scene and death suspicious and incorporated state officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Iowa Department of Public Safety into the investigation. An autopsy was conducted on Bevans’ body on Sunday, July 17. Results of that autopsy are still pending. The Benton County Medical Examiner’s Office and Benton County Attorney’s Office have also assisted the investigation.
CLINTON, Iowa (KWQC) – Police say one man was killed in a shooting Sunday night, just before 11 p.m. The Clinton Police Department responded to a call about a shooting at the intersection of 5th Avenue South and S. 5th Street. When officers arrived, they say they found a man lying in the road. Police say the man was taken to Mercy One where he was pronounced dead. The victim has been identified as Antoine Sampson, 43, of Clinton. Police say, at this time, there does not appear to be any threat to the community. The shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the Clinton Police Department at 563-243-1458 or the anonymous tip line 563-242-6595.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is leading Democratic challenger for governor Deidre DeJear by 17 points according to the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll. The poll found 48 percent of likely voters support Reynolds, while 31 percent support DeJear and five percent support Libertarian Rick Stewart. Five percent indicated they’d vote for someone else, two percent said they would not vote, and nine percent were not sure. The new poll comes less than four months from the November midterm elections. It also comes with a boost in Gov. Reynolds’ job performance approval from Iowans since a previous poll in March. The latest poll had 52 percent of Iowans approving of her job performance, compared to 44 percent who disapprove. That’s up three points since March, when 49 percent approved of her job performance. However, despite her approval being up, more Iowans said they think the state is heading in the wrong direction. The poll found 46 percent of Iowans think the state is heading the wrong direction, compared to 42 percent who believe it’s heading in the right direction. The poll, for Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, was conducted via telephone interviews with 811 Iowans ages 18 and older from July 10 through July 13.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Cedar Rapids firefighters responded to a report of smoke at an apartment on the city’s southwest side early Monday morning. Officials said the fire was at a two-story apartment in the 2000 block of 6th Street SW at about 4:30 a.m. Firefighters said heavy smoke was coming from a second floor apartment. When firefighters arrived, they found the fire in the kitchen area. Crews were able to extinguish the fire quickly. Firefighters said the residents of the apartment were not home at the time of the fire, but they have been displaced due to the fire. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
