Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court upholds $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against Manchester police
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a $4.25 million wrongful death verdict against the city of Manchester in the death of 31-year-old Gus Mormann, who died following a police chase in December 2020.
Mormann was killed after Lt. James Wessels of the Manchester Police Department continued a high-speed chase that other agencies had discontinued. The chase ended when Wessels crashed into Mormann’s motorcycle, severely injuring him. Mormann died about a month later from his injuries.
The case was never initially investigated until Mormann’s family took matters into their own hands, according to their attorney, Dave O’Brien.
“This case, for example, was never even investigated. No one would have ever heard of it if this family hadn’t sat down and said We’re going to get to the bottom of this,” O’Brien said.
Mormann’s mother, Sandra, described her son as someone who “had a lot of friends, everybody just loved him.” She said he was known as a character who always made people laugh and was an avid outdoorsman. Mormann lived with schizophrenia and had previous encounters with Manchester police.
On December 10, 2020, Mormann was riding his motorcycle despite having a suspended license when a police chase began. Eight law enforcement officers from the state patrol, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Manchester Police were involved as Mormann travelled at 100 mph.
The State Patrol and County Sheriff’s Office discontinued the chase, but Wessels continued pursuing Mormann. O’Brien said the police officer bumped Mormann’s motorcycle twice, causing him to crash.
Initially, Mormann’s parents were only told their son had gone into a ditch and was thrown from his motorcycle.
A jury found the police were reckless and disregarded Mormann’s rights, awarding the family $4.25 million. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld that verdict last week.
O’Brien said cases like this don’t happen often, but when they do, they set a precedent.
“We honour officers in Iowa, but if they are committing reckless, egregious, wrongful conduct, we’re going to hold them accountable,” O’Brien said.
The attorney noted this outcome would have been impossible without Mormann’s parents pushing for answers. Sandra Mormann said the family continues to grieve.
“Now we just have a broken heart, empty soul,” she said.
O’Brien said the city still has avenues to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, but he believes that is unlikely to happen.
Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
UPDATE: Amber Alert canceled for missing 12-year-old
WATERLOO (KCRG) – The Amber Alert for 12-year-old Deyton Annabelle Cranston has been canceled.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said Cranston was located and the Waterloo Police Department is investigating.
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Iowa (KCRG) – An amber alert has been issued for a missing 12-year-old out of Waterloo.
12-year-old Deyton Annabelle Cranston was last seen wearing a white tank top and a blue skirt and wearing clear glasses.
She’s described as 5′4′, 135 and has blonde hair and brown eyes.
Officials say to look out for a red Toyota Camry with all tinted windows, a black spoiler, and no license plate on the front.
Anyone with information should contact authorites.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/5/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for March 30-April 4. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 12. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Greyson Hartman, Washington boys track and field
The junior recorded the second-best United States throw in the shot put with a toss of 67-3.5. It is the second-best throw in Iowa history, breaking the Class 3A mark set by NFL standout Tristan Wirfs.
Shea Rapp, Ridge View girls track and field
Rapp won the high jump and the 200 at the Audubon Early Bird while also running on the winning distance medley relay and runner-up 4×400 relay.
Rylee Hemmingsen, Treynor girls track and field
Hemmingsen showed off her skills by winning the 100 hurdles, running on the winning shuttle hurdle and 4×400 relays, and placing second in the high jump at the Audubon Early Bird.
Cash Varner, Alburnett boys track and field
Varner was cash at the Benton Early Bird, placing first in both the 100 dash and long jump.
Aiden Gosselink, Grinnell girls track and field
Gosselink hit the Blue Standard to qualify for the Drake Relays in the long jump while also winning the 100 at the Benton Early Bird.
Rylan Peters, Waverly-Shell Rock boys track and field
Peters set a new school-record in the long jump at 23-8 while also hitting the Blue Standard and qualifying for Drake Relays.
Jase Price, Des Moines Christian boys soccer
Price had quite the varsity debut, as the freshman recorded a haul by scoring four goals in a win over Boone.
Aiden Kellar, Treynor boys soccer
Kellar tallied a hat trick with three goals in a 5-1 win for the Cardinals over Harlan.
Kaden Theisen, Western Dubuque boys soccer
Theisen was peppered with 20 shots in a match vs. Beckman Catholic, saving 19 of them to help the Bobcats to a 2-1 win.
Lucas Sidles, Independence boys track and field
Sidles swept the throwing events at the West Delaware Early Bird, winning the shot put and discus.
Adam Kacmarynski, Pella Christian boys track and field
Kacmarynski won the 100 and ran on the winning sprint medley and 4×100 relays at the Chariton Invitational.
Mark Fraise, Davis County boys track and field
Fraise finished first in the 400 hurdles, was on the first place shuttle hurdle and 4×400 relays, and also ran on the second place distance medley relay.
Gage Hoppenworth, Johnston boys track and field
Hoppenworth had a three-gold night at the Dowling Catholic meet, winning the 110 and 400 hurdles while running the third leg on the winning shuttle hurdle relay.
Alayna Goldsberry, Southeast Polk girls track and field
The junior won the 100 and 200 at her home invitational while running the anchor on the second place 4×400 relay.
Natalie Sitzmann, Waukee girls track and field
Sitzmann, a senior, won the 200 and ran on the first place shuttle hurdle and 4×400 relays at her home invitational.
Isabel Spradling, Des Moines Roosevelt girls track and field
Spradling picked up a first in the 1,500 and was on the gold-medal 4×400 and 4×800 relays at the Waukee Invitational.
Alayna Williams, Carlisle girls soccer
Williams, a senior, recorded five goals in a season-opening win over Knoxville, 10-1.
Carly Torneten, Harlan Community girls soccer
Torneten not only scored four goals, but she recorded four assists vs. Carroll.
About Our Athlete of the Week 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.
Iowa
Former TJ Otzelberger Assistant From UNLV Would Be Perfect for Iowa State
Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger knew that his program was in for a busy offseason.
Before any moves were made with the roster, whether it be players entering the transfer portal or declaring for the NBA draft, Otzelberger knew that he would have five seniors who would have to be replaced on the roster.
In addition to player needs, the head coach needs to replenish his coaching staff. Two of his assistants, JR Blount and Kyle Green, were hired as head coaches. Blount is heading to the San Diego Toreros, and Green was brought back for a fourth stint with the Northern Iowa Panthers.
Both were integral parts of the team’s success, with Blount being a leader on the recruiting front and Green being an architect behind the team’s defense. Who could Otzelberger turn to as a replacement?
Tim Buckley is great option for Iowa State coaching staff
One person who would make a lot of sense as a candidate is Tim Buckley. Most recently, he was on staff with the Cincinnati Bearcats, but with their head coaching change of Wes Miller to Jerrod Calhoun, Buckley is back on the market.
He is someone with whom Otzelberger has familiarity, which could play a big role in the evaluation process when candidates are interviewing. The two worked together with the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels from 2019-21, the position which Otzelberger held before Iowa State.
Buckley could help replace some of what Green’s departure is being lost with the defensive game plan.
“Buckley seems to have a defensive background, and he was described as being “old school” to Cyclone Alert by one source close to the Bearcat program,” wrote Alec Busse of Cyclone Report, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required).
Familiarty, defense are biggest assets Buckley provides
He also has some experience working in the Midwest. Buckley spent one campaign in 2007-08 with the Marquette Golden Eagles and worked with the Wisconsin Badgers in the mid-1990s.
Since Otzelberger took over as head coach, the Cyclones have found a ton of success recruiting in Wisconsin. Buckley can help keep the pipeline active.
He would also bring an established relationship with Otzelberger and plenty of experience. Buckley has been on different sidelines as a coach for nearly 40 years and has been a head coach previously with Rockford and the Ball State Cardinals.
A bonus: Buckley knows the Big 12 landscape after working with Cincinnati the last two seasons. That is an underrated part of his resume, as he can help give some insight into how opponents game plan against Otzelberger and his team while bringing some new ideas to the table in how Iowa State can stop them.
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