Iowa

Iowa DNR: 3 people forced children to pose for mock hangings

Published

1 year ago

September 11, 2024

Iowa DNR: 3 people forced children to pose for mock hangings

Lake Wapello incident spawned two dozen criminal charges

Cabin 13 at Lake Wapello State Park is shown near Drakesville in Southern Iowa. (Courtesy of Iowa Department of Natural Resources)

Three people face felony charges after authorities say they placed a noose around the necks of two children at Lake Wapello State Park and photographed them last month, according to court records.

Jerry Paul Nelson, 70, Danise Helyne Nelson, 68, and Jennifer Jean Nelson, 38, were arrested last week for the Aug. 11 incident. All three live at the same address in Des Moines.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources accuses each of them of three felonies and five misdemeanors, including charges of going armed with intent; conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony; assault with intent to inflict serious injury; harassment and child endangerment, court records show. The felonies are punishable by up to five years in prison apiece.

The incident happened about 2:30 p.m. at a park cabin near Drakesville in Southeast Iowa. Jerry Nelson tied a noose in a rope and hung it from the branch of a cedar tree, according to criminal complaints. The three Nelsons then instructed two children to take a chair from inside Cabin 13 and place it beneath the noose.

They are accused of telling the children “to stand on the chair while a noose was put around their necks and photos were taken,” the complaints said. Other court documents show the children are either 16 or 17 years old.

The intentions of the Nelsons and the purpose of the photos were unclear in court documents. The Iowa DNR declined to comment further on the situation. Jennifer Nelson also declined to comment: “We don’t want to talk to the press.”

The Iowa DNR alleges that the Nelsons were implicated by their own statements about the incident and by photos.

One of the children “has been diagnosed with Asperger’s and he stated he wasn’t comfortable doing the act but did so to keep the peace,” according to a criminal complaint.

Asperger’s syndrome can describe someone who has difficulty navigating social situations, expressing feelings and understanding people’s intentions.

The other juvenile, also identified in court records only by initials, has the same initials as a child of Jennifer Nelson, according to court records associated with a divorce.

The Nelsons were arrested Saturday and were released from the Polk County Jail after they posted $10,000 bails. A judge has barred them from having contact with the children.

Comments: (319) 368-8541; jared.strong@thegazette.com

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Iowa

Iowa Boys High School State Basketball Tournament Sets Two Classes

Published

8 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Boys High School State Basketball Tournament Sets Two Classes

The Class 1A and Class 2A Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament brackets are now official following substate action.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament begins Monday, March 9 from the Casey’s Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

St. Edmond, the top-seed in 1A, gets Woodbine in a rematch of a quarterfinal from a year ago. Woodbine ended the run of defending state champion Madrid in a substate final on the same court that St. Edmond qualified on when they defeated Riverside.

Burlington Notre Dame plays Bellevue, MMCRU meets Boyden-Hull and Bishop Garrigan battles Bellevue Marquette Catholic in the other elite eight games.

The other substate finals saw Burlington Notre Dame defeat Calamus-Wheatland, MMCRU eliminated North Union, Bishop Garrigan downed South Winneshiek, Bellevue bested East Marshall and Bellevue Marquette Catholic topped Montezuma.

In 2A, Kuemper Catholic is the No. 1 seed and will face Union Community in the opening game on Wednesday, March 11. The other quarterfinals see Treynor vs. Grundy Center, Unity Christian vs. defending state champion Western Christian and Iowa City Regina vs. Aplington-Parkersburg.

Kuemper Catholic survived vs. Roland-Story, Union knocked off Pella Christian in a nail-biter, Treynor bested Underwood, Grundy Center downed Beckman Catholic, Unity Christian handled Southeast Valley, Western Christian ran past Tri-Center, Iowa City Regina downed Northeast and Aplington-Parkersburg defeated Cascade.

Here are the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Basketball Tournament pairings for Class 1A and Class 2A.

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 10

Semifinals

Thursday, March 12

Championship

Friday, March 13

Wednesday, March 11

Semifinals

Thursday, March 12

Championship

Friday, March 13

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Iowa

Minnesota Wild Recalls Tyler Pitlick From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

Published

20 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota Wild Recalls Tyler Pitlick From Iowa | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled forward Tyler Pitlick from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Pitlick, 34 (11/1/91), has tallied two goals, 24 penalty minutes (PIM) and 26 shots in 31 games with Minnesota this season and ranks fourth on the team with 76 hits. He has also collected 11 points (8-3=11) and 31 shots in 12 games with Iowa. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Minneapolis, Minn., owns 111 points (58-53=111) and 565 shots on goal in 451 career NHL games over 11 seasons with the Edmonton Oilers (2013-17), Dallas Stars (2017-19), Philadelphia Flyers (2019-20), Arizona Coyotes (2020-21), Calgary Flames (2021-22), Montreal Canadiens (2021-22), St. Louis Blues (2022-23), New York Rangers (2023-24) and Minnesota (2025-26). He has tallied three points (2-1=3) in 22 career Stanley Cup Playoff games. Pitlick has also recorded 140 points (60-89=149) in 289 career AHL games in parts of eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Barons (2011-15), Bakersfield Condors (2015-16), Hartford Wolf Pack (2023-24), Providence Bruins (2024-25) and Iowa (2025). He was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the second round (31st overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Pitlick was signed by Minnesota as a free agent on July 2, 2025, and wears sweater No. 19 with the Wild.

Minnesota hosts the St. Louis Blues tomorrow at 4 p.m. CT on FanDuel Sports Network and KFAN FM 100.3.

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Iowa

Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Boys High School Basketball Substate Finals Locked In For 4A

The fourth and final bunch of Iowa high school boys basketball substate championship games are now set after the second round of Class 4A games were completed on Friday, February 27.

Substate championships in Iowa’s largest classification will take place on Tuesday, March 3, with the higher seed serving as host in all eight games. Winners advance to Des Moines, Iowa and the Casey’s Center to compete in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Tournament beginning March 9.

Three-time defending 4A state champion Valley was eliminated by Ankeny, 72-36. The Tigers, who lost all five starters from a year ago, won just one game prior to earning a victory in the opening round of postseason play.

Cedar Falls, who has held the No. 1 spot in 4A throughout the season, scored a dominating 78-45 decision vs. Iowa City High to move on.

Colin Rice, a Nebraska commit for Fred Hoiberg, scored a single-game school-record 50 points as Waukee Northwest topped Iowa City Liberty, 101-58.

Council Bluffs Lincoln, Ames, North Scott, Dowling Catholic, Dubuque Senior, Johnston, Linn-Mar, Muscatine, Norwalk, Cedar Rapids Prairie, Des Moines Roosevelt, Urbandale and Waukee all joined them in the next round after winning games at home.

The 1A and 2A substate finals will take place on Saturday, February 28 while the 3A games go down on Monday, March 2.

Here are the Iowa boys high school basketball Class 4A substate finals for Wednesday, March 3.

Wednesday, March 3

Class 4A

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