Iowa

Colorado authorities arrest Iowa convict after ranch burglary

Published

1 year ago

March 29, 2025

Colorado authorities arrest Iowa convict after ranch burglary

A 43-year-old man who allegedly stole firearms and a pickup truck from a ranch was captured Friday night after a day-long manhunt in northwestern Colorado.

Officers and deputies took Valentin Velez into custody shortly after sunset. They were first notified of the burglary and theft almost 10 hours earlier.

The Moffat County Sheriff’s Office responded to the initial call at 10:15 a.m. Dispatchers were told that at least one thief had taken several firearms from the ranch at Moffat County Roads 103 and 6, about 10 miles northwest of Craig. The suspect(s) fled in an older Dodge pickup with Wyoming plates. One deputy on his way to the scene encountered the truck and started to pursue it. The pickup truck eluded the deputy.

Then, a witness called 9-1-1 and described the pickup entering the Cedar Mountain Recreation Area about six miles south of the ranch. The day-use area is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and has one access road.

“There is one way in and one way out,” said Moffat County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Nicholas Cordova, “and the truck never came out.”

A shelter-in-place order was broadcast to the area at 11:30 a.m. Moffat deputies, accompanied by Craig Police Department officers, Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel, BLM officers, and the county’s Combined Special Response Team, began searching for the truck and suspect(s).

A drone located the truck. The stolen firearms were inside it, but no suspect was with it.

At 3:30 p.m., the shelter-in-place order was lifted. The search effort was called off, although Craig and Moffat law officers stayed in the area and warned civilians to consider the suspect(s) to still be armed and dangerous.

It was at 8 p.m. that a suspicious man was reported walking along County Road 7 outside the recreation area. One Moffat deputy and one Craig officer approached the man and chased him when he started to run. The officers used a taser to take him into custody.

A loaded handgun was found on Velez at the time of his arrest.

Valentin Velez following his arrest Friday night in northwestern Colorado.

Moffat County Sheriff’s Office

Velez was booked into the Moffat County Jail on four felony charges — theft, auto theft, burglary and distribution of fentanyl — and five misdemeanors.

Velez is an Omaha, Nebraska resident, according to online public records. He was released from the Iowa Department of Corrections last summer following a 2018 kidnapping arrest. Humboldt County deputies found the woman and arrested Velez in an apartment after she reached out to family and friends on a social media post, per local media reports.

The burglarized ranch was singled out by Velez, MCSO’s Cordova told CBS Colorado. “It appears this was not a targeted burglary but rather a crime of opportunity and random.”

The burglary and theft are still under investigation, Cordova added, and more leads are being pursued. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 970-824-6501.

Logan Smith

Logan Smith is an assignment desk editor at CBS Colorado in Denver with more than 30 years of journalism experience in digital, television and print media.

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Iowa

McKenna Woliczko ‘just as excited’ to join Iowa women’s basketball as before

Published

6 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

McKenna Woliczko ‘just as excited’ to join Iowa women’s basketball as before

As Iowa women’s basketball signee McKenna Woliczko prepares to transition her game from the high school level to the collegiate ranks, she expressed her excitement for her freshman season in the fall during a recent interview with The Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow.

Although nearly every program in the nation has been affected in some way by the NCAA transfer portal, some fans had a natural concern that the Hawkeyes’ five departures could affect Woliczko’s trust in the direction of the program.

Fortunately for Iowa, the 6-foot-2 native of San Bruno, Calif., immediately put those worries to rest by reaffirming her eagerness to begin her Iowa career and to meet whoever the program brings in to fill its vacant roster spots.

“All the girls are great. I’m just as excited to come in as I was before,” Woliczko said. “People are going to leave, but we’re going to get some people. I’m really excited to see who we get.”

As Woliczko was authoring a record performance in the 2026 Nike Hoop Summit game, the Hawkeyes were in the midst of pouncing in the transfer portal. Woliczko registered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds as Iowa landed All-SEC first-teamer Dani Carnegie out of the transfer portal to bolster its backcourt.

In a coincidental roommate switch as a result of Addie Deal and Teagan Mallegni entering the transfer portal, Woliczko will spend her first year in Iowa City with junior Ava Heiden and sophomore Layla Hays in an apartment near Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

While Woliczko mentioned that she has some nerves entering her freshman year at Iowa, she also stated that she’s thankful for the program’s all-encompassing support and is excited about the experience.

“I’m obviously really nervous. Just taking that next step, not only just living by myself but also the basketball aspect, the social aspect, all of it,” Woliczko said. “I’m just really excited to feel that new support, and having that new (basketball) family will be so awesome. … I’m so excited to experience that.”

Woliczko arrives as head coach Jan Jensen’s highest-ranked signee in her two years in charge and the program’s highest-ranked signee since Caitlin Clark in 2020.

In her 21 games played during her senior campaign, Woliczko averaged 20.2 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 69% from the floor, 81% from the free-throw line, and 40% from 3-point range. For her career, she posted averages of 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on 63% shooting.

https://x.com/StavrosForever/status/2038736820976939Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews

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Iowa

Iowa makes a splash with an All-SEC guard out of the transfer portal

Published

18 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Press Room

Iowa makes a splash with an All-SEC guard out of the transfer portal

IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa women’s basketball was facing just six returning players for the upcoming season, but on Saturday they landed a big transfer.

Georgia’s Dani Carnegie is heading to Iowa City, she announced on social media. Carnegie was a First Team All-SEC guard with the Georgia Bulldogs.

She averaged 17.8 points per game at UGA. She was also a teammate with Chit-Chat Wright at Georgia Tech in their freshman seasons.

She’ll have two years of eligibility remaining with Iowa.

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Iowa

Killyan Toure Makes Decision on Iowa State Basketball Future

Published

1 day ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Killyan Toure Makes Decision on Iowa State Basketball Future

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to look a lot different during the 2026-27 season than it did at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Gone are the five seniors who were on the roster: Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder. Cade Kelderman, a junior guard, entered his name into the transfer portal along with Mason Williams.

Milan Momcilovic currently has his name in the 2026 NBA Draft, putting his future up in the air for a few more weeks. However, head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest a little easier knowing some of his core rotation is coming back. Included in that group now is Killyan Toure.

As shared by François Nyam via Jonathan Givony of Draft Express on X, the talented guard will be returning to Ames for his sophomore season.

Will Killyan Toure return to Iowa State for sophomore season?

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) shoots in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Toure was a surprise member of the starting five for the duration of his freshman season with the Cyclones. Many people predicted that spot would go to Jamarion Batemon, the highest-rated recruit the program landed in the Class of 2025, but it was Toure who earned the trust of the coaching staff.

It was easy to see why this was the case early on. He was a ready-made high-level defender right out of the gate. His tenacious effort on that end of the court enabled Iowa State to deploy Lipsey in a more rovering role at times, playing the passing lanes and creating turnovers.

The senior was very impressed with what Toure brought to the court, giving him a ton of praise for his efforts on the defensive end.

A high-floor player because of his ability on defense, the Frenchman could truly breakout as a sophomore if he can find a rhythm offensively. His confidence seemed to wane during the season, as he hit the proverbial freshman wall.

NEWS: Killyan Touré will return to Iowa State for his sophomore season, François Nyam tells DraftExpress.
The 6’3, 19-year-old French guard started 37 games for the Cyclones, playing an important role in their 29-8 record and Sweet 16 appearance with his stifling defense. pic.twitter.com/XdS1L9XL9z
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 11, 2026

Toure shot only 38.7% from the field overall during Big 12 play and 23.8% from 3-point range, leading to his minutes being scaled back slightly as Otzelberger sought more offense for the lineup.

However, that confidence on offense did start to come back during the Big 12 tournament and in the NCAA tournament.

Over the final four games of his freshman campaign, Toure averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.5 minutes per game. He shot an impressive 55% from the field and 50% from 3-point range, knocking down 5-of-10 attempts.

Securing his return is a big win for Iowa State basketball. He has an incredibly high ceiling and is built to take the torch from Lipsey as the tone setter on the court.

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