Two of a kind

Sam Shepard, the 71-year-old actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, was arrested in May for drunk driving after failing a field sobriety test. Shepard spent the night in jail and was released on bail, but it wasn’t the first time he’s found himself in this scene. He was also arrested for speeding and drunk driving in 2009.

In another case of lessons not learned, John Peterson, 50, was charged with operating under the influence – second offense, on Aug. 17 around 5:02 p.m. Peterson was booked into the Polk County Jail, and his bond was set at $5,000.

Crimestoppers
This information was obtained from the Polk County Crime Stoppers website. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Des Moines Police Detective Bureau asks that anyone with information on the location or identity of this suspect call 515-283-4864 or The Polk County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 515-223-1400.

An investigation into the death of Shirley Carter on June 19 is still underway. Carter’s autopsy revealed that she was killed by a bullet fired from a rifle. Since then, the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Pella Police Department, Knoxville Police Department, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Indianola Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol have interviewed more than 100 individuals in multiple counties across the state. Law enforcement is now requesting the public’s assistance in identifying any individuals or vehicles in the vicinity of 132 Perry St. in Lacona, Iowa, between 7 a.m. and noon on June 19. Law enforcement would also like to speak with any individual that has approached to either purchase or take possession of a rifle in and around Marion County, or surrounding counties, since that date. Call the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 641-828-2220 or the Polk County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 223-1400.

Blotter — Des Moines

Just make an extra key
Police responded to a burglary report on Arapahoe Drive in Des Moines around 4:27 p.m. on Aug. 18. The victim told police that her family is in the process of having repairs done to the house, and they leave the north side garage door unlocked for the repairman. The family left the home at 9:30 a.m. and returned at about 4:30. The victim’s brother came to check on the house at about 12:30 p.m. and left around 2 p.m. He returned about 45 minutes later and noticed the bathroom light was on, which he did not notice before. When the victim returned home, she went through the bathroom and noticed her two black jewelry boxes were missing.

Disgruntled neighbor
While on patrol, an officer was tripped to a porch fire on University Avenue at 1:15 a.m. on Aug. 17. The officer noticed the southeast corner of the apartment’s front porch was engulfed in flames. The fire department was notified and arrived as the officer cleared the apartment of the people still inside. After clearing the apartment, the officer spoke to the caller, who lives in the building and who stated that he was in bed and a friend came to his apartment to say the front of the building was on fire. The officer spoke to the residents of the building, and all of them said they did not have any enemies or current disputes with anyone who would try to do this. However, all of them did say that there is a “crazy” lady who lives in the building behind the one that was on fire. The report said she is apparently getting evicted at the end of the month and is very disgruntled. All tenants of both buildings were outside on the property at this time, except for the woman, whose apartment was still dark.

Lost connection
Officers were dispatched to Hubbell Avenue at 10:06 p.m. on Aug. 17 for a reported burglary. Upon arrival, the officers cleared the apartment and found no one inside. The officers spoke with the resident, who said she left her apartment at about 5 p.m. and returned at 10 p.m. She noticed her deadbolt was already unlocked when she tried it with the key. When she entered her residence, she observed her TV in the living room was missing. At that point, she walked back outside and awaited police arrival. She later found a Nintendo Wii, Kindle Fire, Mediacom modem, a couple cell phones and a laptop were also missing. Police found a bedroom window was left open, reporting that the suspect slashed the screen to gain entry. CV