March 28, 2024

Monroe trucker identified as victim in I-80 rest stop murder

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday 60-year-old Monroe truck driver Earnest Kummer is the man who was found dead early Wednesday morning from apparent gunshot wounds inside his tractor trailer at an Interstate 80 rest area near Victor.

According to a statement released Wednesday, 43-year-old Mariana T. Lesnic has been charged with first-degree murder in Kummer’s killing and is being held at the Iowa County Jail on a $1 million cash-only bond. Online court records show Lesnic will have her next court appearance Sept. 16.

Iowa County Sheriff officials received a report at 2:37 a.m. Wednesday of a shooting at the westbound rest stop, and when they arrived at the scene officers found Kummer dead with more than one gun shot wound.

No other details on the murder were available as of Thursday afternoon, but in a statement the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office said it is working with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to find answers and determine what prompted Lesnic to allegedly murder Kummer.

Kummer has been employed as a driver by Copeland Trucking in Des Moines since 2010. Copeland manager Charlie Hoag said they were notified about Kummer’s murder Wednesday. In the seven years he’s known Kummer, Hoag said his friend never mentioned anyone named Lesnic and only learned of Kummer’s alleged killer via online news reports. His friend’s murder, Hoag said, came as a shock.

“I was in a pool league with him. He was a good friend. We’re a small company, so we don’t know people as just a trucker number,” Hoag said. “You hear stories about seedy people in this business and Ernie certainly wasn’t one of those people.”

In Monroe, the community is reacting to Kummer’s murder with confusion. According to neighbors, Kummer did not associate with many people in the town of 1,830. But people who did interact with him said Kummer was always very friendly.

Staff at Hewitt’s Service Center said the truck driver was a frequent customer who purchased parts and service for his semi. The employees declined to be interviewed for this story but did say “Ernie was always a nice guy.”

Monroe City Clerk Kim Thomas said Kummer was friendly and “always came into city hall to pay his water bill on time.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com