HIAWATHA, Iowa (KCRG) – Police are investigating what’s described as a “coordinated” break-in at an Eastern Iowa car dealership. McGrath dealerships alerted employees of a “coordinated break-in” at its location on North Center Point Road in Hiawatha over the past weekend, according to an internal email obtained by KCRG-TV9. The thieves broke in to four buildings and stole eight vehicles along with Hyundai parts and technician tools. At least five of the vehicles have already been recovered. Hiawatha Police confirmed it is working with multiple agencies, including the Iowa Department of Public Safety to investigate the theft but was unable to give more specifics given the nature of the investigation. It’s unclear at this point in the investigation if the Hiawatha theft is connected to any other nationwide thefts or crime rings.
MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – Two brothers have been arrested in connection to a shooting that injured a woman outside of a Marion hotel earlier this month. Marion Police say officers took 37-year-old Phillip Phelps and 39-year-old Stephan Phelps into custody around 8:00 p.m. Tuesday. Phillip Phelps is charged with willful injury resulting in serious injury and domestic abuse. Stephan Phelps is charged with accessory after the fact. Marion Police say officers were called to the Sleep Inn on Dyer Avenue just before 4:30 a.m. on October 19. Officers found a woman who had been shot multiple times in the wrist and legs. That woman was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Police said Phillip Phelps has children with the victim and a 2021 domestic assault conviction.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Two people were injured in a shooting at a Cedar Rapids bar Tuesday night. At approximately 8:31 p.m. Tuesday, authorities responded to a report of a shooting at Vernon Bar in the 2800 block of Mt. Vernon Road SE. Upon arrival, officers found a man with a gunshot wound and another person with a minor head injury. Both were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police detained two people and said there’s no threat to the public.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) – Clarke University’s president has resigned and an interim president has been named while the Board of Trustees searches for a permanent replacement. President Fletcher Lamkin has resigned after leading the university since January 2023. The university made the announcement Tuesday. Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Yvonne Zimmerman has been named the interim president during the transition. Zimmerman was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs at Clarke in 2024, having first joined as Dean of Academic Affairs in 2023. She previously spent 15 years at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio, where she was Professor of Christian Ethics and Associate Academic Dean since 2017.
