WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG) – A man who was previously found guilty of arson is now also guilty of involuntary manslaughter relating to that same case. John Spooner was initially charged with first-degree murder after he was found in the area of a house fire that resulted in the death of a man. The fire happened on August 19, 2022, in the 300 block of E. 2nd Street. Witnesses in the area told police they saw Spooner with a large lighter. Police said a video showed him in possession of a gas can just before the fire started, and it shows him having discarded the gas can once smoke started coming from the home. The owner of the home, Tony Grider, was found dead in his bedroom with second-degree burns over his body. A jury found Spooner guilty of arson in the first degree in November 2022. On May 8, 2024, a jury found Spooner guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the 2022 fire that caused Grider’s death. Spooner will be sentenced for that crime at a later date. He faces up to five years in prison.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Father Leo Riley, the former Dubuque priest charged with sexually abusing multiple children in the 1980s, is set to have his first court appearance relating to the charges next week. Father Riley, 68, was charged back in April with five counts of second-degree sexual abuse. Riley was the associate pastor of Resurrection Parish in Dubuque from 1984-1986. Four people reported being sexually abused by Father Riley, who currently works in Port Charlotte, Florida. The criminal complaint details accusations from several former altar boys who claim Father Riley repeatedly abused them, often in the Sacristy. At least two described permanent medical damage connected to the abuse. One former altar boy came forward after getting treatment for a damaged pelvic floor. A second boy also reported suffering from a damaged pelvic floor. That is a condition studies have linked to sexual abuse. Riley has denied the accusations, claiming in an interview with police that the allegations were “most likely a ‘cash grab’.” He is scheduled to appear in court on May 13, 2024.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – At approximately 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, Cedar Rapids Police responded to a reported threat outside Jefferson High School. Officials followed established protocol and placed the school into a soft lockdown. Responders conducted a full search and found no threat. At 1:36 p.m., an all-clear was given and the school was taken off of the soft lockdown. Officials determined the report was a ‘swatting call’. School officials say they are only allowing people to come in and out of the main entrance and bags will be checked upon entry.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing charges after police say he picked up two minor girls in his truck and fondled one of them before they were able to run away. A criminal complaint says Rusty Bowles, who is a registered sex offender, picked up two girls in his truck as they were walking together on Bowling Street Southwest. The complaint says he took the girls to a gas station, bought them food, and then inappropriately touched one of them. The girls were able to exit the vehicle and ran to a nearby business, where the police were called. When police arrested Bowles, they said he admitted to having touched the girl, but claimed he believed she was 16–18 years old. Bowles has been charged with child endangerment-registered sex offender, and indecent contact with a child.
