March 29, 2024

Police Blotter Sept. 15, 2020

Newton Police Department

• Kelvin O. Lazu Soto, 28, of Newton, was charged with domestic abuse assault causing injury or mental illness at 10:44 p.m. July 11 in the 500 block of East 17th Street South. According to the Newton Police Department, the victim reported the assault to the police after requesting an ambulance. The victim said Lazu Soto hit her once in the eye with a closed fist. The victim had swelling to the left eye and pain in the back of the head. The victim also showed officers damage to a door that occurred during the incident. A witness observed a young male with dark hair walk toward the stairs and could hear a female yelling and crying from inside the apartment around the time of the incident. Lazu Soto was arrested at 5:41 p.m. Sept. 8 at his residence and taken to jail.

• James L. Shimek, 29, of Newton, was charged with domestic abuse assault causing injury or mental illness at 5:03 a.m. Sept. 9 in the 400 block of East 11th Street South. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were called in reference to a domestic assault. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the victim who stated she had gotten into an argument with Shimek and when she came downstairs, he grabbed her by the arm and tried to take her back upstairs. Officers noticed redness and scratches on the victim’s arm consistent with scratch marks. The victim declined a no-contact order. Shimek was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• Melvin G. Hawkins, 57, of Newton, was charged with possession of a controlled substance methamphetamine, unlawful possession of prescription drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were dispatched at 7:09 p.m. Sept. 4 to the 1200 block of West Eighth Street South regarding a welfare check for a male who had fallen two to three times. Upon arrival, Hawkins admitted to officers he had been drinking vodka. Hawkins denied taking the standard field sobriety tests but did provide a breath sample for a preliminary breath test. It came back over the legal limit of .08. Officers could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person. Police asked if the bag next to him was his and he confirmed it was. Officers were given consent to search the bag finding a pipe or drug paraphernalia, including a baggie with white residue which tested positive for methamphetamine. When asked if the pipe was his, Hawkins shrugged his shoulders. He was placed under arrested and transported to the Jasper County Jail. Hawkins was searched by jail staff and they found cyclobenzaprine, which needs proof of prescription. Hawkins said he did have a prescription for that medication but he did not have that on his person.

• Michael A. Suiter, 24, of Newton, was charged with driving while barred, failure to provide proof of financial liability, fraudulent use of registration and open container at 11:50 p.m. Sept. 4 in the 100 block of East Third Street South. According to the Newton Police Department, officers stopped a vehicle with a broken break lamp, operated by Suiter who had a barred status. The vehicle had fraudulent plates, which were registered to a different vehicle. Officers also found opened bottles of fireball liquor. Suiter was arrested and taken to jail.

• David S. Jacobs, 31, of Newton, was charged with driving while barred and operating without registration card or plate at 9:44 p.m. Sept. 4 in the 100 block of East 19th Street South. According to the Newton Police Department, officers stopped a vehicle operated by Jacobs that did not have registration plates on it. Jacobs driving status was revealed to be barred as a habitual offender until September 2021. He was arrested and taken to jail.

• Jessica L. Robinson, 35, of Newton, was charged with third-degree harassment at 1:16 a.m. Sept. 5 in the 1800 block of West Fourth Street North. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were called on a report of a possible domestic situation. Upon arrival, police heard a female using expletives in an apartment. Officers made contact with Robinson who stated she was the only one in the residence. She also said she was fine and not causing a problem. After officers left the apartment to speak to other occupants of the complex, Robinson could be heard screaming again after being told to keep it down. Witnesses told police this behavior has been happening for the past six months and is believed to doing it on purpose. The witnesses told officers Robinson entered the complex shouting about “how she is loud” and was slamming doors. Witnesses believe it is intentional and is annoying to live with. Robinson was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail. At the jail, she told officers she would stop if she was taken home.

• Jason T. Purtilo, 37, of Baxter, was charged with consumption in public places intoxication at 5:52 p.m. Sept. 6 in the 700 block of First Avenue East. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were called in reference to a male laying sprawled out in the bushes. Upon arrival, police made contact with the man who appeared to be unconscious. Officers identified the male as Purtilo and tried to use an ASP baton to wake him up but were unsuccessful. The NPD noted an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person. Officers attempted to do standard field sobriety tests but Purtilo was unable to complete them after becoming upset and thrashing about. He was arrested and taken to the Jasper County Jail.

• William A. Ruimveld, 33, of Wayne, Neb., was charged with operating under the influence first offense and driving while license was denied, suspended, canceled or revoked at 2:21 a.m. Sept. 7 in the 1400 block of North Fourth Avenue East. According to the Newton Police Department, officers were on active patrol when a vehicle with no plates was spotted. Police initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, identified as Ruimveld. He advised the NPD he did not have a license and officers found his suspended status from Nebraska. Ruimveld told officers he was in town for a funeral and was driving a friend home who had been drinking. Officers noticed an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the vehicle. Ruimveld admitted to drinking and submitted to a standard field sobriety test, failing two of the three tests. He also submitted to a preliminary breath test with indicated a breath alcohol content above .08. Ruimveld gave a sample to the DataMaster which returned a BrAC of .108. He was arrested and taken to jail.

• Krystal S.M. House, 20, of Newton, was charged with fifth-degree theft at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7 in the 300 block of East Eighth Street North. According to the Newton Police Department, the victim reported seeing House take a child’s stroller from a front porch. She was seen walking away with the stroller in her possession and was caught in the act by the victim. It was also witnessed by a neighbor across the street, reporting a short, white female with blonde hair took the item. A person connected to the victim confronted House about it and she fled to her residence. Officers made contact with House at her home and she admitted to trying take the stroller for personal use of any child she may have in the future. She was cited and released to appear in court.

• Dennis J. Young, 42, of Newton, was charged with assault causing bodily injury or mental illness at 8:54 a.m. April 6. According to the Newton Police Department, the victim reported Young had allegedly exited his residence and struck the victim multiple times, causing visible injury to the victim. Young stated the victim had initiated a physical altercation. The night of the incident, officers attempted to get video footage of the incident from a neighbor’s camera but they declined because they did not want to get involved. The Jasper County Attorney’s Office advised the NPD they were given to footage from the neighbor at a later date. Young was seen on video initiating the physical altercation. He crossed his yard and assaults the victim. The victim had blood on his nose and mouth. Young was cited Sept. 10 and released to appear in court. A no-contact order has been requested by the victim.

• Kayla D.M. Royce, 30, of Guernsey, arrested at 11:55 p.m. Sept. 9 at East Fifth Street South and South Second Avenue East on a Jasper County warrant for failure to appear on a driving while license suspended charge and a Poweshiek County warrant for failure to appear on drug charges. She was taken to jail.

• Ricky A.B. Garcia, 30, of Winterset, arrested at 11:05 a.m. Sept. 6 in the 300 block of East 12th Street South on a Madison County warrant for failure to appear on a domestic assault charge. He was taken to jail.

• Rudy C. Sanchez, 26, of Newton, was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia at 8:56 p.m. Sept. 11 in the 400 block of First Street South. According the Newton Police Department, officers were call about a male who had an active warrant. Officers located Sanchez and confirmed his Jasper County warrants for charges of driving while license suspended, failure to provide proof of financial liability and obedience to official traffic control devices. He was placed under arrest. Officers found a pipe on his person and he admitted it was a meth pipe he had used but not recently. He was taken to jail.

• Nicole E. Flores, 32, of Newton, was arrested at 8:41 p.m. Sept. 12 at in the 1700 block of West 19th Street South on a Jasper County warrant for failure to appear for a non-jury trial on a charge of driving while license suspended. She was taken to jail.

• Graham A. Laird, 39, of Des Moines, was arrested at 9:53 a.m. Sept. 11 at in the 100 block of North Second Avenue East on a Polk County warrant for a probation violation on a second-degree theft charge. He was taken to jail.