Compiled by Jared Curtis jared@dmcityview.com

On the clock
Des Moines Police — Jan. 6-7

Jan. 6-7, 3 p.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Burglary in the 5900 block of Windsor Drive. The victim reported that unknown suspect(s) broke into his parents’ home, who were in California at the time, by prying open the garage service door. Two employees of Flooring America discovered the break-in after employees left at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and arrived to find the mess at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Multiple items were taken, including a 2005 GMC Envoy, a 50-inch TV, three fur coats, four boxes of shotgun shells, a laptop computer and 40 bottles of liquor valued at more than $54,000. No witnesses or suspect(s) at this time.

Jan. 7, 5 to 10 p.m.
Burglary in the 6000 block of Southwest Second Street. Officers were tripped on a burglary. Upon arrival, they met with the victim who stated that sometime between 5 and 10 p.m., someone broke into his house. The back window was broken and appeared to be the point of entry. Power to the house was disconnected, and the phone line was cut. A pillowcase was missing from the victim’s bed. Footprints led from the south side of the house to the neighbor’s house, which had a vehicle stolen in the same time frame. Multiple items were missing, including a 46-inch TV, a surround sound system, an LCD TV, one shotgun and a safe valued at more than $2,600. No witnesses or suspect(s) at this time.

Jan. 7, 10:32 p.m.
Assault in the 2100 block of East University Avenue. Officers assisted medics on a traumatic injury call. Upon arrival, patrons at Gene’s Sports Bar stated that the victim stumbled into the bar and said he was assaulted. When officers asked the victim who assaulted him, he said he was attacked “by a spaceship” and told officers to “fuck off and leave him alone.” The victim was combative with medics and had to be restrained while being transported to Lutheran Hospital.

BUSTED

Name: Gustavo Rosales-Garcia
The story: Rosales-Garcia was involved in a dispute about 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 6, at Club A.M. when staff escorted him out of the club. While working off duty outside the club, an officer assisted the staff with Rosales-Garcia and advised him to leave the property. Rosales-Garcia refused to leave and began walking toward the officer in a threatening manor. The officer pushed him back, and Rosales-Garcia punched the officer in the right side of his face. The officer grabbed Rosales-Garcia and took him to the ground. They struggled on the ground as Rosales-Garcia continued to resist arrest. The officer gained control and put Rosales-Garcia in handcuffs. Rosales-Garcia had cuts to his face from the struggle. He was taken to Mercy Capitol for treatment and transported to Polk County Jail where he was charged with assault on a police officer, interference and criminal trespass.

DOCKET DIVING

The following item is from a recent ruling made by the Iowa Court of Appeals regarding the case of the State of Iowa vs. Shawn Patrick Sweeney.

“On Dec. 21, 2006, an officer with the Ames Police Department stopped a van because one of its headlights was not working. Shawn Sweeney, who did have a valid license, was the only passenger in the van. The officer asked Sweeney to step out of the van so that she could search the van incident to the arrest of the driver. As Sweeney stepped out of the van, the officer saw 1 to 2 inches of a clear plastic baggie sticking out from the right-hand pocket of his coat. She had Sweeney put his hands on the roof of the van in pat-down position asking him about the baggie. Sweeney responded that he had no idea what was in the baggie, and took his hand off of the van to push the baggie further into his pocket. When he did, she placed his hand back on the van, reached into his pocket and pulled out the baggie, which contained 2.9 grams of marijuana. The officer arrested Sweeney for possession of marijuana, handcuffed him, and searched him incident to arrest. In the other pocket of his coat, she found a second bag containing a 224-gram brick of marijuana. Sweeney was charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana

“Sweeney filed a motion to suppress the evidence underlying the charges, claiming the officer had subjected him to a warrant less search without probable cause and exigent circumstances. Following a hearing, the district court sustained Sweeney’s motion to suppress. The court determined that the officer did not have good cause to search Sweeney for illegal drugs. The court found the search was illegal and granted Sweeney’s motion to suppress any evidence obtained from the search of his person or statements made by him after the commencement of the pat-down.

“Because the officer lacked probable cause, the search of Sweeney violated his constitutional right to be free from unreasonable searches. Accordingly, we affirm the district court’s order granting Sweeney’s motion to suppress the evidence obtained from the search of his person or statements made by him after the commencement of the pat down.”

Most wanted

Name: Stephen Neff
Age: 36
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 188 lbs.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Wanted for: Theft in the first degree.
If you know where to find this fugitive, call Crime Stoppers at 223-1400.

8,455 : The number of violent crimes committed in Iowa in 2006.

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