CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now)— A Linn County Jail inmate escaped from Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids where he was taken for treatment Friday. But he was later captured Saturday night in Marion. The inmate, identified as Darrell Lee Lathum, had been incarcerated for charges of Failure to Appear for Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Lathum was placed under police hold at the hospital and was to be returned to jail following his hospital stay. But around 4:00 p.m. Friday, hospital staff notified the jail that Lathum could not be found. Just after 10:00 p.m. Saturday, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office announced Lathum had been captured. He was spotted near the intersection of Highways 13 and 100, and taken into custody by Marion Police.
POLK COUNTY, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now)— The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says campers discovered what appeared to be a human skull on Friday. Deputies were called to the boat ramp at Yellow Banks Park around 7:30 p.m. The campers said they found the skull on a sandbar near the boat ramp. Detectives were called in and searched the area where the skull was located. No other human remains were found. Detectives are working closely with the Medical Examiner’s Office to gather as much information from the skull as possible.
DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now)— Three officers are injured, including one stabbed, after a call to a domestic disturbance. Des Moines officers went to a house on SW 15th Street to check out a report of a fight between a couple. A woman said that her ex-boyfriend, Pierce Nicholas Cruz, was at her house and wouldn’t leave. Cruz had left by the time the cops got there. At around 1:18 p.m., Cruz came back to the house and the cops were called again. At around 1:32 p.m., the responding officers said over their radios that they were fighting with Cruz and that one of them had been stabbed. During the arrest, one officer was stabbed in the leg, another was bitten, and a third was kicked in the face. All of the injuries were serious but not life-threatening. All three were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Cruz was arrested and is now facing charges for breaking a no-contact order, hurting two people on purpose, and trying to seriously hurt a cop.
GROTON, Connecticut (Iowa’s News Now)— The Navy christened one of its newest Virginia-class fast-attack submarines, the USS Iowa (SSN 797), during a ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the submarine’s sponsor, Christie Vilsack, christened the boat by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. Vilsack is an Iowa native who most recently served as the education advisor to the chancellor of Colorado State University. Vilsack’s husband Tom served two terms as Iowa Governor and currently serves as President Biden’s Ag Secretary, a position he also held during the Obama Administration. The USS Iowa is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel and first submarine named in recognition of the state. Virginia-class submarines are built to operate in the world’s littoral and deep waters while conducting various missions. These capabilities allow the submarine force to contribute to regional stability and preservation of future peace while operating everywhere international law allows.
