2008 Woodie Awards
Metro Briefs
DI Metro Staff
Issue date: 2/4/08 Section: Metro
Woman charged with endangerment
A woman faces five counts of child endangerment after she allegedly left her children home alone Feb. 2 while she was at her neighbor's at 3:35 a.m. and registered a .267 blood-alcohol content, according to Iowa City police.
Authorities arrested Sybrina Kelly, 28, 331 S. Lucas St. Apt. 1, on child-endangerment charges after her 9-year-old daughter reportedly called police to say she could not find or reach her mother.
As of Sunday, Kelly was being held at Johnson County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
When responding, officers reportedly found five children - ages 9, 6, 4, 1, and 7 months - alone at home.
Police found Kelly after a 30-minute search at her neighbor's apartment. She was "very intoxicated" and "uncooperative" with police when they arrested Kelly in front of her children, reports said.
Child endangerment without causing injury is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
- by Kurtis Hiatt
CR man charged with burglary, assault
A Cedar Rapids man charged with first-degree burglary and domestic-abuse assault with intent pleaded not guilty last week, according to court documents updated on Jan. 31.
Melchizedek Hayes, 25, allegedly broke a window of his ex-girlfriend's residence on Jan. 12, then crawled into the house and began to assault her.
According to police reports, Hayes jumped on top of the victim and began to punch her in the face while holding down her hands. He also allegedly threatened to kill her.
Police reports also say the two had lived together within the past year. The woman sustained an injury to her bottom lip as a result of being punched.
Hayes, who was allegedly armed with a knife, was ordered by Iowa courts on Jan. 17 not to posses any firearms and have no contact with the woman.
His trial date has not been set.
First-degree burglary is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and domestic-abuse assault with intent is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
- by Olivia Moran
Officials probe 'suspicious' deaths
Area authorities are investigating the "suspicious" deaths of two rural southeast Johnson County residents, Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said on Feb. 2.
Pulkrabek said Wendy Peck, 44, and Robert Lovetinsky Jr., 50, were found dead around 5:34 p.m. Feb. 1 at Peck's home, 5551 Johnson-Muscatine Road S.E. Lovetinsky's only address listed in a release is "rural Iowa City."
Peck's home is located roughly five miles west of West Liberty and seven miles northeast of Lone Tree.
According to reports, the Sheriff's Office received a call Feb. 1 at 5:34 p.m. about the "possibility of one dead person." In a subsequent call, the caller said there were actually two people dead.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's mobile lab team was on the scene following the incident.
Autopsies were expected to be completed sometime over the weekend by the assistant state medical examiner at the UI Hospitals and Clinics.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office, DCI, Lone Tree first responders, Johnson County Ambulance, the Johnson County medical examiner, Johnson County prosecutor, and state of Iowa assistant medical examiner were all called to the scene.
There was no other information available about the incident.
- by Kurtis Hiatt
Man pleads guilty to sex abuse
A man whose trial is set to begin today pleaded guilty Jan. 31 to third-degree sexual abuse and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.
Tiffin resident Charles Leaton, 62, was arrested on Nov. 22, 2006, and charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Leaton pleaded not guilty on Feb. 6, 2007.
On June 1, 2006, Leaton's victim reported that while staying at his house the defendant attempted to put medication in her drink. The victim said she spit the medication out, which lab tests show was Trazodone, and kept it in a Kleenex.
According to police reports, Leaton sexually abused the girl later that night while she was sleeping. The victim said he put one hand on her vagina and the other on her breast. She reported that she then rolled up in a ball so he could no longer touch her.
Trazodone is an antidepressant medication that affects chemicals in the brain, according to Drug Information Online. The site said side effects of the drug could include drowsiness.
A sentencing date was also set for Leaton for March 14.
Third-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines, and assault with intent to commit sex abuse is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
- by Olivia Moran
A woman faces five counts of child endangerment after she allegedly left her children home alone Feb. 2 while she was at her neighbor's at 3:35 a.m. and registered a .267 blood-alcohol content, according to Iowa City police.
Authorities arrested Sybrina Kelly, 28, 331 S. Lucas St. Apt. 1, on child-endangerment charges after her 9-year-old daughter reportedly called police to say she could not find or reach her mother.
As of Sunday, Kelly was being held at Johnson County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
When responding, officers reportedly found five children - ages 9, 6, 4, 1, and 7 months - alone at home.
Police found Kelly after a 30-minute search at her neighbor's apartment. She was "very intoxicated" and "uncooperative" with police when they arrested Kelly in front of her children, reports said.
Child endangerment without causing injury is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.
- by Kurtis Hiatt
CR man charged with burglary, assault
A Cedar Rapids man charged with first-degree burglary and domestic-abuse assault with intent pleaded not guilty last week, according to court documents updated on Jan. 31.
Melchizedek Hayes, 25, allegedly broke a window of his ex-girlfriend's residence on Jan. 12, then crawled into the house and began to assault her.
According to police reports, Hayes jumped on top of the victim and began to punch her in the face while holding down her hands. He also allegedly threatened to kill her.
Police reports also say the two had lived together within the past year. The woman sustained an injury to her bottom lip as a result of being punched.
Hayes, who was allegedly armed with a knife, was ordered by Iowa courts on Jan. 17 not to posses any firearms and have no contact with the woman.
His trial date has not been set.
First-degree burglary is a Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison, and domestic-abuse assault with intent is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
- by Olivia Moran
Officials probe 'suspicious' deaths
Area authorities are investigating the "suspicious" deaths of two rural southeast Johnson County residents, Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said on Feb. 2.
Pulkrabek said Wendy Peck, 44, and Robert Lovetinsky Jr., 50, were found dead around 5:34 p.m. Feb. 1 at Peck's home, 5551 Johnson-Muscatine Road S.E. Lovetinsky's only address listed in a release is "rural Iowa City."
Peck's home is located roughly five miles west of West Liberty and seven miles northeast of Lone Tree.
According to reports, the Sheriff's Office received a call Feb. 1 at 5:34 p.m. about the "possibility of one dead person." In a subsequent call, the caller said there were actually two people dead.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation's mobile lab team was on the scene following the incident.
Autopsies were expected to be completed sometime over the weekend by the assistant state medical examiner at the UI Hospitals and Clinics.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office, DCI, Lone Tree first responders, Johnson County Ambulance, the Johnson County medical examiner, Johnson County prosecutor, and state of Iowa assistant medical examiner were all called to the scene.
There was no other information available about the incident.
- by Kurtis Hiatt
Man pleads guilty to sex abuse
A man whose trial is set to begin today pleaded guilty Jan. 31 to third-degree sexual abuse and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse.
Tiffin resident Charles Leaton, 62, was arrested on Nov. 22, 2006, and charged with sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Leaton pleaded not guilty on Feb. 6, 2007.
On June 1, 2006, Leaton's victim reported that while staying at his house the defendant attempted to put medication in her drink. The victim said she spit the medication out, which lab tests show was Trazodone, and kept it in a Kleenex.
According to police reports, Leaton sexually abused the girl later that night while she was sleeping. The victim said he put one hand on her vagina and the other on her breast. She reported that she then rolled up in a ball so he could no longer touch her.
Trazodone is an antidepressant medication that affects chemicals in the brain, according to Drug Information Online. The site said side effects of the drug could include drowsiness.
A sentencing date was also set for Leaton for March 14.
Third-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines, and assault with intent to commit sex abuse is an aggravated misdemeanor, punishable by up to two years in prison and $5,000 in fines.
- by Olivia Moran
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