From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
A Benton County jury will hear closing arguments today in the case of the woman accused of suffocating her step-mother, Jody Bevans. Samantha Bevans took the stand yesterday, where she blamed her boyfriend Tacoa Talley for suffocating her stepmother, Jodie Bevans, with a pillow. Samantha Bevans said Talley lied to her about why they came to Jodie’s house, and once she saw him choking Jodie, she knew she wasn’t strong enough to stop Talley, so she tried to minimize Jodie’s suffering by holding a pillow over her face. Court resumes this morning at 9.
A former Linn-Mar track coach took an Alford plea to three sexual abuse charges. Prosecutors say in September 2021, Kameron Beets told two teenage students to meet with him for a “physical analysis.” During those meetings, Beets is accused of telling the teens to get naked before touching their private areas. An Alford plea means he is not admitting guilt, but acknowledges there’s enough evidence to convict him. Beets will be sentenced in July.
An Iowa Department of Transportation worker died after a crash on Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County. Police say a Pennsylvania man tried to pass a semi truck as two lanes merged together before a construction zone. That’s when he hit and killed 36-year-old Matthew Dickerson from Neola, Iowa. Another worker was also hurt in the crash.
A 15-year-old resident of a Johnston, Iowa, juvenile treatment center has been charged in connection with a staffer’s death. Jovahn Mathis now faces second-degree murder charges after police say he assaulted 50-year-old Kathleen Galloway-Menke. Police say Mathis shoved her outside Ellipsis Iowa, causing severe brain damage when she fell and hit her head. Ellipsis Iowa officials said in a statement that the attack was “an isolated and tragic outcome” and that it is working with the state to add additional safety and security measures to its facilities.
Dubuque Police say they are increasing patrols on the city’s east side, and are encouraging families to talk with their children, to prevent the kind of big public fights that have happened recently. According to police, there have now been eight incidents of shots fired with criminal intent this year, with police saying some of these incidents involved groups that are feuding.
