IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Iowa City on Tuesday evening. Iowa City Police were dispatched to the 600 block of Southgate Avenue for a report of a person armed with a knife. Officers say they observed the person making threatening statements and gestures. During the investigation, two Iowa City Police officers fired at the person before rendering first aid. The person was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to be treated for serious injuries. They were pronounced dead at the hospital. There is no ongoing threat to the public. Both police officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa City Community School District chose Audrey Moeller to fill the vacancy left behind by Jayne Finch, who resigned last month. Finch cited a “dysfunctional” board in her resignation. The school district is dealing with a financial crisis. It went years without balancing its books, leading to a lost bond rating and a scramble to make payroll. The district’s financial struggles were made public earlier this year. Following years of poor bookkeeping, the district developed a several-million-dollar budget deficit, over-hired staff, and moved $38 million between internal funds without required board approval. The cash flow crisis forced the district to take out short-term loans just to meet payroll. In her application, Moeller says she is a parent of an ICCSD student and an attorney. “I believe that in joining the BOE, I could help right the ship, so that the exemplary teachers within the District can go back to educating the community’s future, i.e., our children, without concern of competency at the managerial level,” she wrote in her application. Moeller’s term on the board is effective immediately and will run through the November 2027.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – Des Moines Public Schools have selected the district’s associate superintendent to serve as the next superintendent. The school board voted unanimously in favor of Smith in a Tuesday vote. Smith has served as the district’s associate superintendent since former superintendent Ian Roberts’ arrest late last year. Roberts was convicted earlier this year of illegally possessing firearms and falsely claiming to be a resident of the United States. He is currently serving out a two-year prison term and will be deported to Guyana following his term.
BAXTER, Iowa (KCCI/KCRG) – The former Baxter Police Chief has pleaded guilty to felonious conduct in office as part of a plea deal. Bill Daggett was charged with first-degree theft and felonious conduct in January after a state audit found over $51,000 in improper funds were collected by him. Former City Clerk Katelyn Wilson was also charged with unauthorized computer access. A criminal complaint says Wilson kept her city-owned laptop and accessed the city’s computer system after she no longer had legal access. Daggett will pay a $430 fine and the theft count will be dropped as part of his deal. The State Auditor’s Office is also conducting an audit for the City of Mitchellville for the time period Daggett was employed there.
