Newton Police
Department
• Nathan C. Brown, 36, of Newton, was charged with fifth-degree theft at 2:26 p.m. Nov. 9 at Walmart. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were dispatched to Walmart in reference to shoplifting. Newton police spoke with Brown who said he would not do it again. A Walmart employee told officers Brown brought jeans in to return and the store was not going to accept the jeans. Brown then allegedly went to the jeans section and took tags off of jeans he wanted and left the jeans he came to return. Brown then walked past the point of no return with the jeans he obtained. Walmart has video of Brown with the items walking past the point of no return and the total for the jeans was $39.84. Brown was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail.
• Lajenna M. Hunt, 52, of Newton, was charged with false report to a public entity at 7:02 p.m. Nov. 8 in the 900 block of North Sixth Avenue East. According to the Newton Police Department, officers responded to a call for a stolen motor vehicle. Hunt told Newton police her vehicle was stolen and she wanted to file it as such. Hunt filled out a voluntary sworn statement for the police. Officers then investigated the incident and found Hunt was filing a false report of a stolen motor vehicle to cover for her son. Newton officers viewed text messages on Hunt’s phone from her son instructing Hunt to file a false report of a stolen motor vehicle. Hunt admitted to officers she filed a false report. Hunt was cited and released.
• Thomas J. Hall, 31, of Lincoln, Neb., and Ryan A. Marks, 26, of Cedar Rapids, were both charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance at 5:59 p.m. Nov. 10 in the 200 block of West Fourth Street North. According to the Newton Police Department, officers responded to a call of two males sharing a pipe in a gray BMW. Officers saw two males inside the vehicle and approached. They instructed the passenger to roll the window down. Officers could smell the odor of marijuana and were given consent to search the vehicle by the owner, Marks. Newton officers found marijuana and a marijuana pipe. Marks told the officers the marijuana and marijuana pipe in the car were his. The passenger, Hall, had marijuana and a marijuana pipe on his person. Marks was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail and Hall was cited and released.