BLAIRSTOWN, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — A brief tornado was spotted in Benton County Friday night, prompting Tornado Warnings and delaying football games across the area. The tornado has been confirmed and rated by the National Weather Service as an EF-U, or EF-Unknown. The tornado did not cause any damage and was likely brief. Other funnel clouds were spotted through the evening near Palo, but no other tornadoes were reported.
OTTUMWA, Iowa — A man convicted of murder for the death of his wife is now in custody after failing to show for the reading of the verdict. Gregory Showalter was captured around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. The arrest marks a significant development in an ongoing investigation. Details surrounding the circumstances of Showalter’s arrest have not been released. Authorities say more will be released about what happened on Monday. Ottumwa Police Lieutenant Jason Bell testified in court that investigators went to perform a welfare check at the Showalter home but did not locate Gregory. A woman who identified herself as a friend told authorities that Showalter received a phone call asking him to return to the courthouse before he handed her the keys to his car, saying he wouldn’t need them anymore. In addition to first-degree murder, Showalter is convicted of abuse of a corpse, willful injury and domestic abuse in the death of his late wife 60-year-old Helen Showalter.
OTTUMWA, Iowa — Ottumwa High School’s homecoming game Friday night ended at halftime in a 44-7 loss to Marshalltown after reports of gunshots in the area. School leaders along with Ottumwa Police made the decision out of an abundance of caution. Few other details were released, but the shots came as police were looking for Gregory Showalter, the man who failed to show up to court Friday afternoon where he was found guilty of murder in the death of his wife; he was captured and taken into custody Saturday morning.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Fire forced residents out of their apartment complex Friday evening. Crews were called to 59 Miller Ave SE just after 7:00 p.m. Upon arrival, fire crews discovered the fire had already been extinguished by the complex’s sprinkler system. The quick response of the sprinkler system played a crucial role in preventing the fire from spreading to other areas of the building. The firefighters ensured there was no fire extension into other areas of the complex. They also secured the sprinkler and water flow to prevent further water damage and ventilated the building to clear out any remaining smoke. Cedar Rapids Fire says this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of automatic fire suppression systems in residential buildings, which can control and often extinguish a fire before firefighters arrive on scene. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
