CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (KCRG) – Authorities said one person is dead after a driver attempted to elude law enforcement early Sunday morning on 4th Ave. S and S. Shore Drive in Clear Lake. The Iowa State Patrol said a 22-year-old driver was actively trying to get away from officers when the driver lost control of the car at a high rate of speed. The driver struck a tree and then hit an unoccupied house and two parked cars. Authorities said the driver was fatally injured. The name of the driver is not being released at this time.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Karina Cooper will spend the rest of her life in prison. A jury found her guilty of first-degree murder on Friday. Karina Cooper was found guilty of murdering her husband, Ryan Cooper. In June 2021, Ryan was found dead at his home in Traer. He died from two gunshot wounds to the face. Three years later, in February 2024, Karina Cooper was arrested in connection to the incident. Much of the trial focused on an affair Karina Cooper had with Huston Danker, who is also accused of murder in this case. Cooper’s defense was Danker acted alone and killed Ryan Cooper. The State argued Cooper and Danker planned the murder together, and she’s the one who pulled the trigger. When Cooper testified in her own defense, she said she believed Danker killed her husband but she never told law enforcement about his possible involvement because she was scared of him. The mandatory sentence in Iowa for first degree murder is life in prison.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – One person suffered burns after a cooking fire in their home Friday evening. Iowa City firefighters were called to a house in the 2000 block of Westwinds Drive just before 8 p.m. Friday. By the time they got there, 5 minutes after being dispatched, the fire had already been put out. One person who was living there was burned, and was treated on scene and then taken to the hospital. No one else was injured in the fire. Damages are estimated to cost around $1,500. The cause of what started the fire is still under investigation.
WASHINGTON, Iowa (KCRG) – A judge has sentenced the former mayor of Washington, Iowa to two years probation in a sexual abuse case. Jaron Rosien entered a plea of guilty earlier this year to one count of assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Investigators say a 27-year-old man came forward in 2023, claiming Rosien had sexually abused him at a bar that January. Rosien told officials he had acted “flirtatiously” with a person matching the man’s description, but could not recall specifics because he was intoxicated. On Friday, a judge ruled he will be registered as a sex offender and receive sex offender treatment. Rosien will also serve 50 hours of community service.
