Des Moines Local News - ABC News Radio

Arrest Made in Monday Bank Robbery

James Grebey — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:23:52 +0000

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Des Moines detectives arrested the man accused of robbing a bank Monday afternoon.

Beau Michael Peterson, of Altoona, 31, was taken into custody overnight, according to the Des Moines Police Department. Officers from the Des Moines and Ankeny Police Departments tracked Peterson down to a hotel in Anekny where he was arrested and then taken to the Des Moines Police Department.

Peterson was also charged with committing a robbery on April 23 at the Community State Bank, located at 3540 East 33rd Street.

Dozens of Weapons Handed Over During Police Excerise

Anselm Gibbs — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:12:02 +0000

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Des Moines Police say a total of 59 weapons were collected during last week's voluntary weapons turn-in events.

Police said Monday among the weapons turned in were handguns, rifles, shotguns, muzzle loaders and pellet guns. Several thousand rounds of ammunition were also handed over.

Police said the next step will be to determine if any of the weapons were stolen or used in any crimes, and then they'll be destroyed.

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Gunman Robs Des Moines Bank

Anselm Gibbs — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:50:40 +0000

Des Moines Police Department(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Police are searching for a suspect who robbed a Des Moines bank at gunpoint on Monday afternoon.

The robbery was reported just before 1:30 p.m. at the West Bank branch, located at 2440 E. Euclid. Police say a male suspect entered the bank, brandished a handgun and demanded money. The robber was reportedly given an undisclosed amount of cash and he then fled.

Witnesses said that he was last seen getting into a black Pontiac vehicle, which fled in an eastward direction on E. Euclid.

There were no reports of injury.

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Armed Man Robs Popeyes Chicken Restaurant

James Grebey — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:11:39 +0000

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- A man armed with a knife robbed a Popeyes Chicken restaurant over the weekend, The Des Moines Register reports.

The suspect entered the restaurant located on 14th Street around 9 p.m. on Saturday.

According to police, the suspect jumped over the counter, knocked down the cashier and then held her at knifepoint when she got back up. The robber demanded money from the cash register. The cashier, a new employee, was having trouble opening the register until the suspect told her to finish a customer transaction to get it to open up. This worked, and he grabbed the cash, leapt back over the counter and ran away.

Officers attempted to track him down, but could not find him. They say there may be surveillance footage of the suspect from a neighboring business’ cameras.

Semi Truck Rolls Over as Severe Storms Pound Iowa

Anselm Gibbs — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:21:08 +0000

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- As severe stormy weather conditions pounded parts of Iowa on Sunday evening, one semi truck was no match for the powerful winds.

Authorities said in published reports that a semi truck traveling on Interstate 35 north of Ankeny was knocked over onto its side.

The driver of the vehicle was reportedly taken to an area hospital with unknown injuries.

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Fire Prompts Evacuation at Parkland Memorial Hospital

Anselm Gibbs — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:07:55 +0000

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Patients and staff at Parkland Memorial Hospital had to be evacuated on Sunday evening after a fire broke out at the hospital.

The blaze was reported shortly before 5:30 p.m. at the hospital, located on Harry Hines Boulevard. Fire officials say crews arrived to find smoke coming from the ninth floor and patients and staff in the process of self-evacuating. Firefighters then located the source of the fire and worked to quickly extinguish it.

Officials say the blaze began in a mechanical room on the 11th floor, however, investigators are still working to determine just how it started.

There were no reported injuries.

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Police Investigate After Neighbor Finds 2-Year-Old Unattended

Louis Milman — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:57:35 +0000

(WEST DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Police responded to a report of an unattended 2-year-old earlier this week and launched an investigation into the child and her mother.

According to the Des Moines Register, the girl was seen outside her apartment wearing a T-shirt and a diaper that appeared to be dirty. A neighbor who had previously seen the girl outside by herself, called the police.

When police arrived, the mother of the child did not go outside to search for her daughter. The Register reports that she told police that she had been looking for the girl inside the apartment.

The mother was not arrested, but the case was assigned to a detective in the Department of Human Services.

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Crash Leaves Teen Driver with Injuries, Citations

Anselm Gibbs — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:54:03 +0000

(ALTON, Iowa) -- A 16-year-old boy was injured and also given citations following a crash near Alton on Thursday.

The single-vehicle collision happened on Thursday morning as the teen was driving a Dodge Ram truck east on 450th Street. The Sioux County Sheriff's Office said the teen lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it running off the roadway, entering a ditch and rolling over, the Sioux City Journal reported.

The driver sustained minor injuries and was cited for failure to maintain control and not having insurance.

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Woman Dies in Early-Morning Fire in Boone

Anselm Gibbs — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:34:40 +0000

(BOONE, Iowa) -- One person is dead following a fire at a home in Boone overnight.

The fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. Friday at a house located on Benton Street. Fire crews responded and worked to battle the flames, however, one woman died in the blaze, published reports stated.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

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Four Louisiana Men Guilty of Illegal Deer Hunting in Iowa

Anselm Gibbs — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:03:13 +0000

(RED OAK, Iowa) -- Four Louisiana men have been convicted of illegally poaching Iowa deer.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, William Chambliss, Michael Fralick and Stanley Russel, were all found guilty of deer hunting violations, while James Moore pleaded guilty to related charges.

"These men came to Iowa specifically to road hunt trophy bucks during the rut," Deb Howe, state conservation officer for the Iowa DNR said in a statement. "They did not have any licenses or tags to hunt in Iowa during the time they were here."

The convictions come after an investigation that began in November 2011, when someone tipped off authorities about illegal deer activity taking place.

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