CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – For many employees, Chophouse Downtown was their livelihood. So when the owners abruptly closed it last Thursday, it affected their future income. Now former employers are telling TV9 that many employees didn’t receive their last paychecks as scheduled last week, with a few saying past paychecks they deposited bounced. A TV9 Reporter reached out to one of the owners, Ryan Avila-Burillo. He explained that they’re currently in the process of liquidating their assets to be able to pay everybody. He’s unsure how long that will take, but has sent updates to employees. The Chophouse owners cited several reasons for closing, mostly competition from new restaurants downtown like Big Grove and Pickle Palace. Removal of parking meters, he says, confused a lot of customers. But the owners did not give as many reasons for shutting down their restaurant called Mezcal in a completely different area of town.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC/KCRG) – The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a former Davenport West High School science teacher in an invasion of privacy case. However, appellate court justices threw out the sentence for Clinton VanFossen, convicted of secretly recorded people in various states of nudity in his Bettendorf home. According to a written opinion, justices said the sentencing judge gave reasoning for why a prison sentence was imposed but did not give a reason as to why the sentences should run back-to-back. VanFossen posted an appeal after he was sentenced in 2023 and has remained out of custody.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – University of Iowa Health Care has reached a $1.2 million settlement with the family of a teen that died in 2020. The family of Emma Nugent filed a medical malpractice lawsuit after the 16-year-old died of a pulmonary embolism. State Attorney Jeffrey Peterzlek said Emma was evaluated through the UIHC Influenza Like Illness Covid-19 program, but she became unresponsive and died despite “extensive resuscitation efforts.” The lawsuit alleged “UIHC personnel failed to meet the standard of care in failing to order testing that would have allowed early diagnosis and treatment which would have prevented her death.” The settlement was approved on Wednesday.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids man has been charged in connection with a couple of fights that happened at the Ped Mall in Iowa City last month. In a criminal complaint, police said 18-year-old Avonus Hodges was involved in a physical fight with a group of people at the corner of College Street and Dubuque Street in the Ped Mall just before 1 a.m. on July 21. Police said surveillance video shows Hodges punching people and stomping on them while they were laying on the ground, defenseless. Officers broke up the first fight Hodges was involved in, but after officers left the area, Hodges chased down another victim. Another person tackled the victim and Hodges kicked him while he was laying on the ground. Police said Hodges was part of a group of five other people involved in this incident. When officers broke up the second fight, Hodges ran away. All of it was reportedly captured on video. Hodges is charged with Participation in a Riot. Police have not said whether additional charges are expected in this case.
