CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The man accused of punching a Cedar Rapids police officer in the face multiple times last month has entered a plea of not guilty. Police said 34-year-old Ryan Floerchinger charged at an officer, knocking the officer to the ground before punching the officer repeatedly in the face, causing serious injury. Police said officers were responding to a harassment call in the 300 block of Lewellen Drive NW when the incident occurred. The officer was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. A trial is set for October.
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – The Dyersville city council approved up to $9.5 million in tax-increment rebates for the sports complex expansion coming to the Field of Dreams movie site. Council members in attendance approved the development agreement unanimously on Tuesday. Council member Jim Gibbs was not present. Go the Distance Baseball bought the iconic movie site in September last year, and unveiled its expansion master plan this past April. That plan involves adding additional land for nine new baseball fields, dormitories for youth teams and a hotel. City Administrator Mick Michel said work on the project is expected to begin this fall. That would be after the Major League Baseball game, which is planned for August 11.
RIDGEWAY, Iowa (KCRG) – The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help finding a teenage girl they say willingly ran away and may be traveling out of state. In a news release, the sheriff’s office said Yaritze Pastor Junech, 16, from Ridgeway, left her home willingly on the morning of July 3 with a male she met through social media. Officials said she may be heading to New York or Tennessee and is no longer believed to be in Winneshiek County.
CORALVILLE, Iowa (KCRG) – A GoFundMe has been set up for the mother of the three-year-old who died after being shot at a Coralville apartment last Sunday. Police said the shooting happened at around 12:19 p.m. at an apartment complex on Boston Way. Officers found three-year-old Damaria Sanders with a gunshot wound. He was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he later died. Police and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are still investigating the shooting. Additional details have not been released in this case. Johnson County Supervisor Royceanne Porter set up the GoFundMe for the boy’s mother, asking the community to help provide financial stability while she makes funeral arrangements.
