Compiled by Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com

On the clock
Des Moines Police — Oct. 29-30

Oct. 29, 5 – 10:28 p.m.
Burglary in the 300 block of Watrous Avenue. Officers were dispatched on a burglary report and met with the victim upon arrival. The victim showed officers the back door, which had pry and scratch marks on it. The victim says the door was closed when she got home, but that the lights were on in the living room and back door area. The items reported missing included a camcorder and a DVD player, valued at more than $400.

Oct. 29, 10:01 p.m.
Second degree robbery in the 2500 block of East Euclid Avenue. A clerk at Hy-Vee, located at 2540 E. Euclid Ave., observed the suspect walking down the liquor aisle acting suspicious. The clerk continued to observe the suspect when he allegedly took a bottle of Black Velvet, valued at $19, and shoved it down his pants. The clerk initiated a “John Smith” which is code for a shoplifter. The suspect purchased a bottle of orange juice and when he walked out the store, tripped its alarm. The suspect fled through the parking lot and store employees chased after him. One employee caught up to him, but the suspect turned into a fighting stance. The employee put the suspect in a headlock and pushed him to the ground. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly bit the employee’s hand causing redness and a laceration to the skin. The suspect was held on the ground until officers arrived. The suspect told officers his friends pressured him into stealing the liquor.

Oct. 30, 3:30 a.m.
Intimidation with a weapon in the 2600 block of Market Street. Officers were dispatched to the residence on a drive-by shooting call. The victims stated they were sleeping when they heard a loud bang and what was described as three to four gunshots. The victim said they heard a vehicle with a loud muffler drive-by several times and found two bullet holes in the front window and several more on the front porch and north side of the house. Previous calls to the residence included a home invasion and a theft. The victim said that during the theft, the suspect made threats about shooting the house.

Busted

Name: Chad Zurfluh
The story: An astute reader recently brought to our attention that one of our Iowa State Fair fashion photo victims [“Fair Fashion,” Aug. 16], Chad “Homeboy” Zurfluh, has had a few run-ins with the law. His rap sheet includes more than 50 involvements with the legal system, totaling more than $23,000 in fines including multiple traffic offenses and possession of controlled substances as well as dismissed charges of OWI, carrying a weapon, drug paraphernalia and intent to deliver. Zurfluh has been involved in cases versus the State of Iowa, cities of Des Moines, Johnston, Pleasant Hill and Windsor Heights.

Docket Diving

The following is from a recent ruling made by the Iowa Court of Appeals regarding the case of the State of Iowa vs. Joshua James Jacobsen.

“Joshua Jacobsen appeals from the district court’s denial of his motion to suppress evidence and alleges ineffective assistance of counsel.

“A convenience store employee called police to report two suspicious men lingering behind the store. Evansdale police officers responded to the call. They found Jacobsen and his friend behind the store by the air pumps. One of the officers asked the men for identification. Both provided their driver’s licenses. The officer radioed the dispatcher to check for outstanding warrants. The dispatcher responded that there were no outstanding warrants. The officer gave the licenses back to the men and told them to be on their way.

“When the officers returned to the patrol car, the dispatcher informed them there was a warrant on ‘James Jacobson’ or ‘Joshua Jacobsen.’ After receiving this information, one of the officers again made contact with Jacobsen and told him about the warrant. Jacobsen denied its existence and asked the officers to check it against his social security number. The officers did not immediately do so. A search incident to arrest turned up marijuana and methamphetamine.

“After the arrest and search, officers discovered that the middle name and the birth date on the outstanding warrant were not the same as Jacobsen’s. The State charged Jacobsen with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. The district court found Jacobsen guilty of both counts and this appeal followed. Jacobsen contends the district court ‘err[ed] in finding the officers’ disregard of obvious identification problems to be reasonable.’ He maintains his identity was readily ascertainable. The officers took Jacobsen’s driver’s license to check for outstanding warrants. The license contained his name as well as additional identifying information; nonetheless, the officers only gave the dispatcher Jacobsen’s name. This was unreasonable. Even after Jacobsen informed the officers he was not the person identified in the warrant and told them to verify the warrant against his social security number, the officers did not do so, electing instead to proceed with the arrest.

“We find it unnecessary to decide or preserve the remaining issues. We reverse the district court’s denial of Jacobsen’s motion to suppress and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”

Missing

Name: Jordyn Martsching
Age at report: 15
Age now: 15
Weight: 120 lbs.
Height: 5’5”
Race: White
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Female
Incident type: Juvenile

Jordyn Martsching was reported missing to the Indianola Police Department on Oct. 29. If you have information regarding the disappearance of this individual, please contact: the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (800) 346-5507.

From the Missing Person Information Clearinghouse Web site: http://www.iowaonline.state.ia.us/mpic.

70,000 : The amount of miles of blood vessels in the human body.

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