Compiled by Bethany Kohoutek bethany@dmcityview.com

911 call

Dispatcher: Polk County Sheriff’s office…
Caller: [I’m at] Casey’s in Grimes. I just had two vehicles steal the cans out of my back shed.
D: They were empties, right?
C: What’s that?
D: They were empties, right?
C: Yeah.
D: What was the first vehicle?
C: One was a white Blazer. I didn’t get a license plate or anything.
D: What was the other one?
C: A maroon truck.
D: No plate on it?
C: No. I think it was a Ram or something.
D: Which way did they go?
C: Um, they headed east.
D: What’s your name?
C: [provides name]
D: Your phone number?
C: [provides number]
D: About how long ago did that happen?
C: I just came in the door…
D: OK.
C: OK.
D: Thank you.

Officer’s Report: I was dispatched to [Casey’s General Store in Grimes] reference a theft of pop cans from the rear of the business. Upon arrival, I met with [the] Casey’s store clerk… who reported that as she was taking trash to the outside dumpster, she observed two vehicles, a newer sport utility and a newer maroon Dodge Ram truck, parked near the grain elevator located behind the store. … The clerk said that she heard bags of cans being thrown into both of the vehicles and they quickly left the area when she yelled at them. The clerk believes that the unknown suspects had taken four bags of pop cans, valued at $48, from behind the store. … The clerk was unable to get license plate information for either suspect vehicle. While en route to Casey’s, I was unable to locate the suspect vehicles. I had dispatch make notification on the hot sheet, reference the theft, and I sent a message to all on-duty law enforcement (with mobile data terminals) reference the activity and the suspect vehicles.

Docket diving

At 3 a.m. on Nov. 10, 2004, Pottawattamie County Deputy Sheriff Brian Loomis clocked an SUV going 86 miles per hour on Interstate 80. He turned on his lights, and signaled the vehicle to pull over.

There were three men inside the Lincoln Navigator when Loomis approached on the passenger side. He asked the driver to roll down all of the windows then he asked for the driver’s name, registration and Social Security number.

The men knew they were in trouble. Colton Dineen, the 23-year-old driver, had stolen the Navigator, and all three men were high on meth. One of his passengers, Christopher Smith, was on probation, and the other, Jeremy Clark, had already been in trouble with drugs. The men were on their way to Illinois, where they planned to embark on a car-stealing spree.

While Deputy Loomis was verifying the information he collected, the men began to weigh their options. According to court testimony, they briefly thought about throwing the Navigator into reverse to hit Loomis and his car. Then Dineen, the driver, told his friends that there were five guns in the back of the SUV.

Loomis, meanwhile, had grown suspicious of the men’s odd behavior and the information they’d given him. He called for backup then approached the vehicle on the driver’s side. He asked Dineen to exit the car and sit in the squad car. Instead, Dineen grabbed a Glock pistol, opened the door, and shot Loomis four times in the chest and arms. The men sped off, pulling over a short time later to do more meth. Smith took control of the wheel, and the men sped toward Illinois.

When backup deputies arrived, they found Loomis “severely injured” on the side of the road. He survived, but suffered “life-threatening injuries,” according to court documents, including a long-term weakness and loss of sensation in one hand and arm.

At some point, the Navigator crashed, and all three men were eventually apprehended. The men were slapped with a slew of charges, from attempted murder, to theft, to assault on a police officer, to reckless use of a firearm. Dineen and Smith were sentenced to 25 years in prison; Clark got 10 years.

The Iowa Court of Appeals recently reversed one of Smith’s convictions — for willful injury — and ordered a new trial for him. Specifically, Smith’s attorneys had complained that Smith had no prior knowledge that Dineen had “specific intent” to cause serious injury to a law-enforcement officer. The judges on the appellate court agreed.

Smith’s other charges, which were upheld by the court, will keep him in prison for at least a portion of his original term. The court also ordered the state of Iowa to pay for 25 percent of the appeal; the remainder was assigned to Smith.

1 million : average hours of labor performed by the inmates employed by Iowa Prison Industries during the course of a year.

Sucks to be you

Name: Charles Pierre LaTray Foster
Location: Polk County Jail
Posed for this picture because: In what potentially could be the neighborhood’s second murder in a week, 21-year-old Charles Foster is accused of stabbing to death 28-year-old Kyron Moore outside of the My Place bar in the Hull Avenue area on Nov. 18. Less than a week prior to the incident, another young man, Jesse Johnson, 21, was struck on Nov. 16 by a hit-and-run driver who is still on the loose. Johnson later died of injuries he sustained in the incident. Foster is currently facing first-degree murder charges and is being held in the Polk County Jail.

Help wanted

The following entities have purchased products from Iowa Prison Industries, which employs inmates incarcerated in Iowa’s state prisons: Iowa governor’s office: office furniture; Saydel High School: school furniture for art classes; Wartburg College: dorm furniture; St. Theresa Catholic Church: pew refinishing and custom church furnishings; Des Moines Public Schools: school furniture; Clinton County Courthouse: custom wood furniture; Bridges of Iowa: lockers; University of Iowa: custom wood cabinetry and renovations; University of Iowa: dorm furniture; Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office: chemicals, textiles, signs and furniture. (For a peek at Iowa Prison Industries’ product catalog, which features everything from textiles to disinfectants, visit "http://www.iaprisonind.com".)

On the clock

Story County Sheriff – Nov. 8-19

Nov. 8
Car accident on I-35, southbound at mile marker 120. Sheriff’s deputies responded to a two-car collision. A driver from Dallas, Texas, attempted to pass a Story City man in his car and lost control of the vehicle. Both cars went into the ditch and overturned. The Story City man was transported to an Ames hospital with “what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries,” deputies said. The Dallas man received a citation for failure to maintain control of his vehicle.

Nov. 9
Burglary in Story City. A victim reported that his rental storage unit had been broken into, and several items were stolen. The missing property is estimated to be worth $1,195. The sheriff’s department reports that the investigation is ongoing.

Nov. 13
Burglary in McCallsburg. The victim reported that his garage had been burglarized. Several parts had been stolen off of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Deputies are continuing their investigation.

Nov. 14
Mischief in the 100th block of 740th Avenue. A victim from Clemons informed the sheriff’s department that the air brake lines on his semi had been cut while the truck was parked at a grain bin.

Nov. 14
Mischief in Gilbert. A city employee reported that several tires on city-owned vehicles had been slashed.

Nov. 18
Vehicle accident at 550th Street and 140th Street in Story City. A 16-year-old male was driving on gravel when he lost control, flipped his car several times and landed in the ditch. The driver and his 16-year-old female passenger were transported to an Ames hospital. They suffered minor injuries.

Nov. 19
Burglary in Slater. A vehicle belonging to a resident of Columbus, Neb., was parked on Main Street when it was broken into. Several items were gone, and the back window was smashed, when the victim returned to her vehicle. Estimated loss was $500. The investigation continues, deputies say. CV

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