Semi-truck driver convicted of vehicular homicide-OWI in 2023 death of Iowa tow truck driver 2024-10-14

A Michigan semi-truck driver has been convicted of vehicular homicide while under the influence. Dmytro Prysich, 55, of Hamtramck, Michigan, could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison after being convicted Monday by a Polk County jury. Prysich hit 45-year-old tow truck driver Joshua Villa, of Adel, on Nov. 12, 2023. Villa, who was working for Rick's Towing, was loading a disabled vehicle onto his tow truck near mile marker 130 on westbound Interstate 80/35 in Urbandale. Prysich didn't pull over after striking Villa, according to a criminal complaint, but was eventually stopped by officers in Clive. The complaint said officers smelled alcohol, and Prysich 'had difficulty maintaining his balance and an unsteady gait.' Blood tests showed Prysich had an alcohol level of .196.

Crime

Iowa's crime-victim compensation forms go paperless 2024-10-14

Iowa's crime-victim compensation forms are going paperless, in a move meant to streamline the process and improve efficiency for victims applying for help after a crime. The move comes several months after Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird completed an 'audit' of victim services, where payments for emergency contraceptives for hundreds of victims were cut off for more than a year. Those payments have since resumed, but the program no longer covers the rare practice of compensating victims for abortions. Bird said in a press release Monday that roundtable discussions across the state, held while her audit was underway, revealed some crime victims, including survivors of sexual abuse, were struggling to apply for compensation through the state's victims services fund. The new, online form is meant to make it easier for victims to get help getting back on their feet, and also includes a new form for families of murder victims, something that wasn't included in the old system.

Crime

Vandalism and theft of political yard signs on the rise in Iowa County, Wisconsin 2024-10-14

As the campaign season heats up, so are thefts and vandalism of political yard signs in Iowa County, Wisconsin. The Iowa Co. Sheriff's Office is reporting multiple incidents of damage to political signs supporting both sides of the ticket. Belinda Anderson, a Dodgeville resident, described the vandalism of a Trump-Vance sign in her yard as 'disturbing' and 'unsettling.' The Anderson's were out of town for the weekend and were greeted with a spray paint-covered sign when they returned home. Sheriff Michael Peterson says there has been an uptick in reports of vandalism and theft of political signs across Iowa County recently, and urges residents to put their political signs in a spot where they can be seen on security cameras to help identify the perpetrators.