Police Blotter

Newton Police Department:

• Michele L. Bell, 35, of Newton was charged with driving while license suspended at 8:51 p.m. Wednesday after she was involved in a traffic accident at the intersection of Highway 14 and the Interstate 80 exit 164 eastbound off-ramp. According to a police report, an investigation determined that both Bell and 87-year-old Dwight E. Burch of Newton stopped at their respective traffic control devices prior to the collision. Burch was reportedly traveling northbound when the two made contact in the intersection. Police said both vehicles sustained $2,000 in damage. An Iowa Department of Transportation report revealed during an investigation that Bell's license was under suspension. The accident was ruled a no-fault by authorities, and Bell was released to appear in court.

• Kenneth A. Vasquez, 21, of Newton was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing at 6:14 p.m. Wednesday after witnesses reported seeing the subject at 901 S. 13th Ave. E., an apartment complex from which Vasquez was legally banned. According to a police report, Vasquez was allegedly at the residential building without the management's knowledge. The property's owner had filed a legal order June 1, 2011 to keep the subject out of the building. Vasquez was transported to the Jasper County Jail.

Jasper County Sheriff's Office:

• Jeremy T. Beason, 19, address unknown was arrested at 5 p.m. Thursday by the Grinnell Police Department on a Jasper County warrant for a probation violation. According to a spokesperson from the Jasper County Jail, Beason was serving probation for eluding police and operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent. He was picked up by Jasper County deputies and brought to jail. Beason was released today on his own recognizance by order of the Jasper County District Court, and no record was available today on a future hearing date in Beason's case.

• Jessie C. Hart, 19, of Johnston was arrested and charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor at 2:40 a.m. Thursday after a vehicle in which he was a passenger was stopped for a traffic violation. According to a sheriff's office report, Hart was found holding an empty can of beer during the stop at the intersection of South 28th Avenue West and Highway F48. Authorities said three additional cans of beer were found under the front passenger seat. Hart was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Terry R. Wells, 52, of Des Moines was arrested and charged with driving while license suspended and barred at 9:05 p.m. Thursday after his vehicle was stopped for traveling 68 mph in a 55 mph zone. According to a sheriff's office report, the subject's Jeep Compass was pulled over in the 6700 block of Highway 117 South. The officer reported that Wells gave him a state-issued identification card and admitted he could not produce, nor did he have, a valid driver's license. Iowa Department of Transportation records show that Wells' license is barred from July 31, 2009 though July 30, 2013. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. It is the policy of the Newton Daily News to release the names of individuals charged with a crime who are 15 and older.