OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU/KCRG) – A humane society board member has been accused of stealing money from the facility. Prosecutors have charged 43-year-old Kara McFarland with first-degree theft, a Class C felony. A criminal complaint said she transferred more than $13,000 from the Heartland Humane Society from its PayPal account to her personal one. Board President Jane Lechner said the act of betrayal from a board member wasn’t the worst part; instead, it was what the animals in the facility’s care lost. Board Member Garrett Ross explained the board discovered McFarland had stolen the money last October. They reported it to the police and a warrant for her arrest was issued last month. Ross said McFarland attempted to refund them the money. McFarland has pleaded not guilty to the charge of theft in the first degree.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – U.S. Marshals arrested a man in Las Vegas wanted on murder charges in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday. Officers arrested 51-year-old Donnie Danell White on charges of first degree murder and nonconsensual termination of a pregnancy in connection to the death of 38-year-old Brittany Hopkins. On Feb. 28, police found her body near the 2100 block of Westdale Drive Southwest in Cedar Rapids. Less than a week later, they declared her death to be a homicide. The Cedar Rapids Police Department collaborated with the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Nevada Violent Offender Task Force. They determined White had run from Iowa after Hopkins’ death. U.S. Marshals say he surrendered to the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force and was arrested without incident. He’s currently being transported for processing and is awaiting extradition back to Iowa.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A man who said he was hurt in a random assault last week on the northwest side of Cedar Rapids is speaking out. The Cedar Rapids Police Department said there were attacks on three people in an area bordered by B and C Ave. and 10th and 11th Streets. That’s near Olivet Presbyterian Church and the HACAP food pantry and daycare center. Andrew Holling, a 48-year-old disabled Veteran, was waiting to get on the bus last Thursday morning when he was suddenly hit from behind. Holling said he was punched over and over again for half a minute. Then the attacker stopped. But when the attacker saw Holling trying to take a picture of him, he started attacking again, hitting Holling 15-20 times with Holling’s cane. The attack left Holling with a black eye, a large bump on his head, and five staples in his head. He said security cameras nearby captured footage of his attacker, which he described as a 6′ 2″ black man wearing a light-colored hoodie. Holling said he was shocked when he found out he was the third person to get attacked in his neighborhood, along with an elderly woman in her 80’s.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids man is facing numerous charges after police say he led officers on a high speed chase Monday. Police said they tried to stop Brendan Fischels, 26, in the 100 block of 10th Street SE at around 5:52 p.m. after he was seen driving a motorcycle erratically. However, police say Fischels sped away using city streets and I-380 and reaching speeds of 100 mph. Multiple law enforcement agencies worked together to take Fischels into custody after he crashed in Robins. He was first taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries. He faces charges of Eluding – 25 mph over posted limits, Driving While License Under Suspension, Reckless Driving, two counts of Failure to Maintain Control, Interference with Official Acts, Assault, Excessive Speed and Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance.
