Iowa
Driver distracted by phone gets probation in fatal Iowa City crash
IOWA CITY — Nine days after her 30th birthday a year ago, Kristina Pearson and her partner, Christopher Brown, went out to buy house paint. She stopped at Tractor Supply in Iowa City for a copy of North American Whitetail magazine, featuring her dad on the cover for a fourth time.
“She purchased the magazine and snapped a picture of it at 12:57 p.m.,” her mother, Judith Collora, said. “Then she got in the car, buckled her seat belt, and followed another car through the green light at the intersection.”
At 12:58 p.m. Aug. 7, 2023, as Pearson and Brown headed north on Boyrum Street, Drake Brezina, then 24, stared down at his cellphone as he drove his Chevrolet Silverado through two intersections and then a third on Highway 6, despite the red light — slamming into Pearson’s driver’s side door. The crash rupturing her spleen, tearing her vertebral artery, fracturing her skull, breaking ribs and causing extensive internal bleeding.
Minutes later, Collora got a call from her husband, telling her Kristi and Chris were in an accident, that they were both unresponsive at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and that the couple was to come immediately.
“After three and a half hours of surgery, they directed us back to the neural department, to a room with tables and chairs and Kleenex,” Collora said. “The young doctor came in to tell us they could not save her.”
The physicians expected Brown to survive. And they were able to keep their daughter’s heart beating until the family could gather to say goodbye.
“They said I needed to let them know when to stop the heart medicine,” Collora said. “It was 9:30 p.m. Kristi kept it going for about 20 minutes. We watched her last heart beat.”
Just under two months later, on Sept. 29, 2023, officers arrested Brezina on suspicion of vehicular homicide and serious injury by motor vehicle due to reckless driving.
The second-grade teacher had no prior criminal offenses. Beloved by family, friends and members of his community — having transferred to Iowa Mennonite School, now Hillcrest Academy, in Kalona as a high school freshman — Brezina pursued elementary education at Northwestern College in Orange City, returning to Washington, Iowa, after graduation to teach at Highland Elementary.
Expressing devastation at his own actions, Brezina pleaded guilty and took responsibility for his distracted driving and the lives it destroyed. And on Monday in a packed Johnson County courtroom — walls lined with family and friends on both sides who couldn’t find a seat — Brezina, now 25, awaited his fate.
Prosecutors requested the maximum 15 years in prison. Brezina sought probation, promising to share his story as a warning against distracted driving and honoring Kristi “so that something like this never happens again.”
“There are no words that I can say to express how deeply sorry I am for what happened on that day,” Brezina said. “That sorrow will live in me forever.”
With those opposing sentence requests before him, Johnson County District Court Judge Chad Kepros faced the question of whether to make an example of Brezina or a testament of him — to make him pay behind bars, or behind a microphone, sharing the tragic consequences of his decision to focus on his phone instead of the road.
“This case is just extraordinarily challenging,” Kepros said. “In fact, I personally believe that this type of sentencing can be the most difficult that a judge faces.”
On one hand, he said, “The consequences flowing from the defendant’s criminal acts are just the worst. They can’t be overstated.”
“What’s even more tragic is that all of this pain of loss was completely avoidable,” Kepros said. “While Kristi’s death and Christopher’s injuries certainly weren’t intended, it’s not accurate or fair to describe them as accidental. Because they only came about due to defendant’s recklessness.”
So the real question, the judge said, the one required of him by law, is what sentence would offer “the maximum opportunity for rehabilitation and protection of the community.”
“The nature of this offense is, I think, extremely challenging, because we’ve all seen, perhaps on a daily basis or near a daily basis, people driving while distracted by phones,” Kepros said. “And yet, this is the exact thing that is the danger when you operate a heavy piece of machinery in reckless way. Just because a lot of people do it doesn’t mean that you get a pass when something tragic happens.”
Ultimately, he said, prison wouldn’t offer the maximum opportunity for rehabilitation — nor was it necessary for community protection. Imposing supervised probation for five years instead, Kepros took the extra step to ensure Brezina follows through on his commitment to share his story.
“I generally don’t order community service as a part of a suspended sentence, in fact I don’t remember ever doing it,” Kepros said. “But in this instance, the court believes that Mr. Brezina can potentially have a positive influence on the community by speaking about these events, the dangers of distracted driving, texting and other forms of distracted and impaired driving as a major problem in our society.”
Upon hearing the judge’s sentence, Brezina’s family wept, gripped one another’s hands, lips quivering. Pearson’s family — who in March filed a wrongful lawsuit against Brezina, set for trial in February 2026 — remained stoic, having just shared their concerns that letting Brezina walk will cost more lives.
“I have no forgiveness for Drake Brezina,” Judith Collora told the court. “He knew very well what he was doing. What would you feel if it was your child? How many more people have to die because they’re texting instead of driving?”
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
Wells Fargo Arena signage removed in preparation for Casey’s Center
See Wells Fargo Arena signage be removed from the arena in preparation for the venue’s renaming to the Casey’s Center on July 1, 2025.
The Iowa Events Center could soon get a new operator as Polk County leaders consider putting the complex’s management contract up for bid for the first time since its opening.
Polk County officials are poised to bid out a management contract for the Iowa Events Center complex in downtown Des Moines as its current agreement with the Oak View Group expires this year.
Polk County supervisors in mid-June voted 3-2 to hire the event center’s representative, JLL Consulting, to help select and oversee its next operator during the first year. That agreement will cost $197,500, county documents show. Outgoing supervisors Angela Connolly and Tom Hockensmith voted against the move.
Connolly said the county could use a consultant to better understand the complex’s operations and budget. Still, she and Hockensmith agreed it would be difficult for a new firm to outdo Oak View Group’s success.
“And it just seems to me that we are trying to fix something here that is not broken,” Hockensmith said.
The county-owned Iowa Events Center complex is Des Moines’ primary convention center and arena. The complex includes the EMC Expo Center — previously Hy-Vee Hall — Community Choice Convention Center and the Casey’s Center. Formerly the Wells Fargo Arena, the nearly 17,000-seat arena was renamed the Casey’s Center in July 2025.
The events center has hosted acts such as Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and The Eagles.
Oak View Group has managed the events center since acquiring in 2021 its original contractor, Global Spectrum/Spectra, which had held the contract since 2004. The firm describes itself as a full-service venue management company that helps clients host sports, live entertainment and conventions, according to the complex’s website.
The Iowa Events Center brought in about $1.8 million to the county in fiscal year 2025, which began July 1, 2024, general manager Chris Connolly told the Des Moines Register. As they close out the 2026 fiscal year, they’re projecting about $2 million in revenue. In the 2024 fiscal year, the events center had its best operating year, raking in more than $3 million, Connolly said.
He points to the firm’s role in selling the naming rights of the arena to Casey’s and the expo center to EMC Insurance. Before the arena opened in 2005, Wells Fargo paid $11.5 million for the naming rights for 20 years. Casey’s paid $18.3 million to have the rights for 10 years.
Beyond the numbers, “we’ve forged relationships with these people for years and think that that is huge,” he said of partnerships with corporations like Casey’s and EMC.
Connolly said the Oak View Group was told last fall that the county would likely hire a consultant and the management contract could be out for bid. That’s standard practice, he said.
“None of it was a surprise. We get it,” Connolly said. “Like I said, I think our performance speaks for itself, so I’m not worried about that. If a consultant wants to come in and take a look at it, maybe there’s some efficiencies that can be improved.”
He said Oak View Group would bid on the contract should the county issue a request for proposals.
“I almost see this as going through a process … and whatever direction that goes, we’ll be ready for it,” Connolly said.
Outgoing supervisor chair Matt McCoy told colleagues that bringing in JLL Consulting to help oversee a competitive bid process affirms the county’s responsibility to be transparent with taxpayers about its contracts.
“You do RFPs with long-term partners to keep each other honest and to make sure that you’re getting a rigorous review of investment of Polk County taxpayer dollars,” he said.
“And to just say we’re not going to do that, to me, it shorts the taxpayer. It tells the taxpayer that, you know, we have such a cozy relationship that we don’t even need to go out and check our numbers,” McCoy added.
Hockensmith pushed back, saying that Oak View Group’s revenue numbers are undisputed and calling McCoy’s comments vindictive.
Supervisor Mark Holm said he views the action as primarily bringing JLL on board to evaluate operations and budgeting for the future.
JLL Consulting will help Polk County build a framework for the new operator contract, which includes ways to measure the complex’s success and details on monitoring the facility’s condition, according to county documents.
Virginia Barreda is the Des Moines and Polk County government reporter for the Register. She can be reached at vbarreda@dmreg.com.
With June rapidly finishing up, that means the Iowa high school softball season is preparing to enter the stretch run of the year.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State Softball Tournament will begin Monday, July 20, in Fort Dodge at Rogers Park, bringing together many of the top teams and players in the state. High School On SI Iowa currently provides a Top 25 state softball power rankings, so now, we need to see who the top players are.
Below are the nominees for the High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player of the Year in each classification. Stats listed with the player are from Bound and based on those numbers imputed as of June 26, 2026 at noon CT.
Feel free to vote as many times as you like, with voting set to close on Friday, July 3, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
High School On SI Iowa Class 1A Softball Midseason Player Of The Year Nominees
Rachel Eglseder, Edgewood-Colesburg, Senior
Eglseder owns a 16-5 record, striking out 225 batters with a 1.66 earned run average while adding 11 extra-base hits and 40 RBI at the plate.
Rylee Mudderman, Kee, Junior
Mudderman continues to be a difficult out, batting .488 this season with two homers, 11 doubles and four triples. She has driven in 38 and scored 35 times, stealing 10 bases.
Faith Shirbroun, St. Edmond, Senior
Speaking of tough outs, Shirbroun owns a batting average of .606 this season, recording seven homers, 17 doubles and five triples. She has driven in 36 and scored 37 times, stealing 22 bases while setting several school records for hitting.
Sydney Lovrien, Clarksville, Senior
The ace for the defending state champions, Lovrien is 13-5 with 100 strikeouts in 86 innings pitched. She also has 23 hits and 21 RBI at the plate.
Sam Kruckenberg, Mason City Newman Catholic, Senior
A veteran now, Kruckenberg owns an 18-4 record with 227 strikeouts and a 1.23 earned run average. She is batting .440 with five homers, 11 doubles and 23 RBI at the plate.
About Our Midseason Player of the Year Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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The Iowa chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) officially opened a new facility on its 80-acre demonstration farm in Marshall County Thursday.
Iowa LICA President Scott Bohle said having classroom and meeting space will make it easier to educate the next generation of professional contractors, along with government employees, lawmakers and students, to help conserve soil and water in the state.
Bohle said the building “gives people a place to gather, collaborate and continue the important work that defines our association.”
Just outside the new space are wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, bioreactors and other features, which members have built since LICA purchased the farm near Melbourne in 2000.
“We call it the one-stop shop, where you can see anything being put to practice by our landowners,” said Kelby Kiefer, executive director of Iowa LICA.
Together, these “edge-of-field” practices remove 50% of phosphates and almost 100% of the nitrates from the runoff of a 1,000-plus acre watershed, according to the association.
Adding more wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors across the state are a key part of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. It aims to cut nitrogen and phosphorus losses from farm fields by 41% and 29%, respectively.
The strategy is part of a broader effort to reduce nutrient pollution in the state’s waterways and the Gulf of Mexico by 45% compared to the 1980-96 baseline period. It does not include a target date.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the state has accelerated edge-of-field practices in recent years, in part through the Batch and Build model. The approach bundles projects in a targeted watershed to reduce costs and save time for farmers and contractors.
Nearly 150 nitrate reducing wetlands and around 500 saturated buffers, bioreactors and multi-purpose oxbows had been built in the state as of 2024. Thousands more will be needed to meet the state’s nutrient reduction targets.
“[Clean water is] something we need to be focused on, and we can be proud of the work that’s happened, but we know that we need to do more,” Naig said. “Buildings like this help.”
Naig said scaling up conservation infrastructure across the state will require more skilled contractors. He described them as the “critical link” between concepts and “getting things on the ground.”
“It’s from that point where you say, ‘We have a design that’s ready to go, a willing landowner,’ but somebody needs to make it happen,” Naig said. “The land improvement contractor sits in that very important spot.”
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