On Thursday, a Linn County jury found David Alan Huston not guilty on two charges stemming from a June 24, 2022 incident in which he drove his pick-up truck through a crowd of pro-abortion protesters in Cedar Rapids. Huston had been charged with assault by use of a dangerous weapon — vehicle, an aggravated misdemeanor, […]
Linn County Attorney
Posted inCommunity/News
After almost two months, the man who stabbed Devonna Walker has been arrested
Fifty-six days after the stabbing death of Devonna Walker, the Linn County Attorney’s Office has charged Shane Teslik with Voluntary Manslaughter and Disorderly Conduct. Walker died after being stabbed during a confrontation with Teslik and his wife in front of their home in Cedar Rapids on Jan. 2. There hasn’t been any question regarding who […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Man who drove his truck into abortion rights protesters in Cedar Rapids wants assault charge dismissed and trial moved out of Linn County
The man who drove his pickup truck into protesters crossing a street in Cedar Rapids in June pleaded not guilty to both crimes with which he has been charged. Several weeks after the incident, David Huston of Swisher was charged with Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon and Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Election 2022: Public Measure 1 would eliminate ‘current and future common-sense gun laws’
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks was blunt in his assessment of Public Measure 1, which would amend the Iowa Constitution in a way that would stop most attempts to regulate guns in the state. “This amendment is a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Maybanks said at a news conference on Tuesday at the Cedar Rapids Public […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Attorney General’s Office concludes fatal shooting by CRPD officers was justified
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks has closed the investigation into a fatal shooting of William Rich by two Cedar Rapids Police Department officers on Aug. 30. Maybanks’ decision follows a review of the shooting by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office that found the actions of Sgt. Bryson Garringer and Investigator Christopher Christy “were entirely legally […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County Attorney rules CRPD officers were justified in shooting suspect
After reviewing the actions of two Cedar Rapids police officers who shot a suspect during a traffic stop on July 30, Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks has concluded the officers acted “to avoid injury or risk to their lives and [the shooting] was reasonable under Iowa law.” Officer Blair Klostermann and Officer Matt Jenatscheck fired […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Nick Maybanks, appointed Linn County Attorney in January, is now seeking election to a full term
Nick Maybanks, who was appointed Linn County Attorney last month, is running for a full term in that office in the November general election. “Part of my drive and motivation to serve is not only that I’m a hometown guy here and I care about the future and safety of the citizens of Linn County, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County introduces marijuana diversion program
Individuals charged with marijuana possession in Linn County who don’t have a criminal record may be eligible for the county’s new marijuana diversion program. However, it’s unclear whether or not the program will address the county’s racial disparities for marijuana arrests. Linn County announced the marijuana diversion program was on Dec. 28, and it went […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Jerry Burns sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of Michelle Martinko in 1979
Jerry Burns, the man convicted earlier this year of first-degree murder in the 1979 killing of Michelle Martinko, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, in addition to paying $150,000 in restitution to the Martinko family. His request for a new trial was also denied on Friday. “This moment has […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Michelle Martinko’s murder ‘haunted’ the Cedar Rapids community for 40 years. Now, her suspected killer is set to go on trial.
Dec. 19, 2018. Like every year, local news stations ran anniversary pieces describing the cold case of Michelle Martinko, an 18-year-old woman stabbed to death in Cedar Rapids in 1979. The facts of the case were recounted. A tip line scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The weather report would be next, and Martinko’s story would be
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County will pay $285,000 to a man wrongly arrested because of a photo on Facebook
Linn County announced on Wednesday it is paying $285,000 to settle a federal lawsuit against the county and County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden. Joseph McBride had filed the lawsuit earlier this month, claiming that his rights had been violated when Vander Sanden signed an arrest warrant containing false information that led to McBride being arrested and jailed for two months.
Posted inCommunity/News
Man wrongly arrested for robbery because he was Facebook friends with other suspects sues Linn County
On Wednesday, Joseph McBride filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Linn County and Jerry Vander Sanden, the county attorney, violated his rights by having him arrested and jailed last year for a robbery committed in Cedar Rapids in January 2017. McBride spent approximately two months in custody, before all charges against him were dropped.
