March 28, 2024

Police Blotter

Newton Police Department

• Chad E. Berry, 31, of Newton was cited for driving while license suspended after police stopped his vehicle at 1:48 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of North Second Avenue West. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Robert J. Hughes, 21, of Newton was cited for striking a fixture, failure to provide information, failure to maintain control and careless driving following an investigation after authorities responded to a single-vehicle accident at 6:45 p.m. Thursday in the 400 block of East 12th Street North. Hughes allegedly was driving erratically and struck a utility pole, causing it to break. He was not at the scene when authorities arrived, but his vehicle was later located in the parking lot at Rock Communications. Damage to the pole was estimated at $3,000, and damage to his vehicle was estimated at $300. He was released to appear.

• James L. Koon, 20, of Newton was charged with unauthorized use of a credit card after turning himself in at the Newton Police Department at 2:26 p.m. Saturday. Koon allegedly used a relative’s credit card to withdraw $120 in cash from an ATM machine at Git-N-Go on March 29. He was released to appear in court.

• Douglas Krier, 56, of Newton was charged with fifth-degree theft at 7:30 a.m. April 14 at 919 First Ave. E. after police investigated an incident where a $20 board was reported taken that same day from a concrete construction site in the 1100 block of First Avenue East. Police were able to locate the board at his residence. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Lori A. Warden, 40, of Newton was cited for driving while license suspended after police stopped her at 10:56 a.m. Friday in the 400 block of South Fifth Avenue West. She was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Andrew Rumley, 24, of Chariton was cited for failure to maintain control, littering and striking a fixture after police were dispatched to Walmart at 12:04 a.m. Friday on a report of a vehicle in the middle of Iowa Speedway Drive. Rumley was not at the location at the time but was later located and brought to the Jasper County Jail.

• Heather M. Atkinson, 26, of Newton was cited for driving with a suspended license at 2:35 p.m. Monday after he was stopped in the 400 block of First Fifth Avenue East.

Jasper County Sheriff’s Office

• Jarred S. Frost, 28, of Marshalltown was charged with driving with a suspended license after he was stopped in the 7200 block of Highway T12 North at 6:06 p.m. Monday. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Anthony M. Houle, 33, of Colfax was charged with public intoxication at 9:13 p.m. Tuesday after police where dispatched to on a report of a drunk individual along Highway 117 North in Prairie City. When police arrived at the location, Houle was found on the side of road with his hand in the air, making a hitchhiker thumb motion. His blood alcohol contact was more than three times the legal limit at the time. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Jeffrey W. Trent, 31, of Newton was charged with assault at 8 p.m. Monday after police where dispatched to 357 N. 35th Ave. Trent allegedly struck his girlfriend multiple times during an argument in his vehicle. Police also reported that he broke a cell phone into tiny pieces and broke a plastic piece on the vehicle’s center control console. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Aaron R. Troupe, 36, of Newton was charged with driving while license revoked and was cited for driving without insurance after police stopped him at 1325 First Ave. E. at 10:45 p.m. Saturday. He was taken to the Jasper County Jail.

Prairie City Police Department

• Aaron B. Stout, 33, of Ottumwa was arrested and transferred from the Marshall County Jail to the Jasper County Jail at 4:15 p.m. April 12 for an outstanding warrant issued by the Prairie City Police Department for a fifth-degree theft charge.

• Travis C. Swihart, 38, and Mellissa Lee Beyer, 30, both of Prairie City, each were charged with domestic assault at 5:47 p.m. April 9 after police were dispatched to 306 W. Sixth St. on a report of a domestic disturbance. Police determined Swihart and Beyer allegedly assaulted each other. Both were taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Mason M. Vanpelt, 26, of Des Moines was arrested on an outstanding arrest warrant issued from Dallas County for failure to appear charge at 1:10 a.m. March 21. Vanpelt 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 16 and older.