The Marshalltown Police Department is asking for the public’s help in identifying two individuals suspected of theft. 

On March 23, 2016 at about 3:30 am, Wal Mart, 2802 S. Center St, reported to the police department that a male and female suspect fled the store with electronics valued at approximately $2000. Once outside the store, the male and female suspects left the parking lot in a red pickup truck. 

It is possible that these two suspects are responsible for similar thefts in other central Iowa communities. 

If anyone has information about this incident or can identify the suspects please contact Marshall County Crime Stoppers. Tips may be submitted by calling (641) 753-1234, via text by texting the word “marshall” followed by the tip to CRIMES (274637), or online at www.marshallcountycs.com.  All tips are completely anonymous and could earn a reward of up to $1,000 if the tip results in an arrest.

Photos of the suspects and suspect vehicle are below.

65 tips and several arrests later, Clark Wideman of Marshalltown thinks Marshall County Crime Stoppers is the most rewarding community betterment effort he has been involved with ever.

And that is saying alot for the vice-president and general manager of Marshalltown Broadcasting, who has served on many betterment committees over a 54-year career in broadcasting, marketing and sales.

On Monday, Wideman retired as chairman of the board of MCCS.

That retirement was brought on by another, as he will step down from Marshalltown Broadcasting April 1.
A move to Eau Claire, Wisc., will soon follow.

Wideman is credited with starting MCCS after hearing a presentation about local crime by Marshalltown Police Chief MIke Tupper in January 2015.

Wideman wanted to help, so he called Tupper.  "My thinking was we could put together some public service announcements and do interviews with law enforcement," Wideman said.  The two met.  Tupper suggested implementing a Marshall County Crime Stoppers program as a proven method to combat crime.  Tupper, having previously served as Nevada's police chief, knew about Story County's Crime Stoppers.

Crime Stoppers is a national organization offering cash rewards for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
It engages the public, making them partners with law enforcement in the war on crime.  Tipsters can leave information anonymously via an online form, text message or telephone call.

Wideman seized the opportunity. However, he admitted being a "little nervous at first."  That led to telephoning Mike Schlesinger, general manager and publisher of the Times-Republican, and Mark Osmundson, president of the local KDAO radio and television company.  "I got their support, so we had the three major media in town supporting the effort," he said. "That was what we needed. It takes three elements for a successful Crime Stoppers program: An all-volunteer board of directors, law enforcement and media."

Over a period of seven months, Wideman and team lined up the necessary resources.  This included recruiting more board members, drafting by-laws, establishing program guidelines, earning a 501(c)3 non-profit designation and securing cash donations for rewards.

It officially kicked off Sept. 1 last year.

Looking back, Wideman is thrilled with the program success six and one-half months later.

Wideman credited the public, the board of directors and law enforcement representatives Tupper, Capt. Chris Jones of the MPD, Marshall County Sheriff Ted Kamatchus and Chief Deputy Steve Hoffman for making Crime Stoppers successful.

"The public and media has supported us, and the board, with law enforcement, have been terrific to work with," Wideman said.

"I would like to publicly thank Clark for his efforts," said Tupper at Monday night's city council meeting. "Without Clark, Crime Stoppers would not exist locally. We have received 65 tips resulting in several arrests. By comparison, Story County received 26 tips in their first year."

Osmundson has succeeded Wideman as chair.

Other officers are Joel Greer, vice-chair; Schlesinger, treasurer; Tami Lichtenberg, secretary; and Larry Raymond, fund-raising. Board members are Bettie Bolar, Ellen Bergman, Carol Hibbs, Mike Miller and Carlos Portes.

Donations to MCCS are tax deductible, and can be made to MCCS, 112 W. Church St.

Courtesy of the Marshalltown Times-Republican,  By MIKE DONAHEY, March 16, 2016

The verdict is in.

The local Crime Stoppers program is a success after only five months of operation.

It has received 60 tips as of Tuesday, said Capt. Chris Jones of the Marshalltown Police Department, who oversees the program.

Importantly, some of the tips have lead to arrests (As a means of comparison, Story County Crime Stoppers received 26 tips during its first year).

Crime Stoppers offers a cash reward for tipsters to report information - and they can do it anonymously via an online form, text message or telephone call.

Tipsters can submit data pertaining to a potential suspect's name, address, race, gender, height, weight, age, hair color, scars and marks, tattoos, clothing or animal ownership.

Crime Stoppers tips can be submitted by telephone, text message or an Internet website.

The Crime Stoppers phone line is answered 24/7 at 641-753-1234. Calls are answered by Marshall County Communications Center operators.

Text messages can be sent to 247637 (CRIMES). (Put "Marshall" first followed by text message)

Tips can be submitted online at www.marshallcountycs.com

Information is sent to a third-party server before being rerouted to law enforcement.

"Any tip we receive having information to follow-up on is given to the staff members responsible for the type of tip received and then follow-up is done," said Jones. "A majority of our tips relate to possible drug activity and/or subjects with outstanding warrants."

Clark Wideman of Marshalltown, vice president and general manager of KFJB-KXIA, was instrumental in starting Crime Stoppers after hearing a report from Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper.

He took action and assembled a team of volunteer board members to get the job done.

Wideman is chairman of the board.

"I think 60 tips is excellent after we kicked off the program Sept. 1," he said. "It is a fantastic response. The community has responded well ... we have a hard working board of directors ... they are all supportive of it, as are the media. There are many positive things happening and we are delighted."

Equally thrilled was fellow board member Joel Greer, a local attorney.

"The effort is one of the most successful fund-raisers I have seen since we moved to Marshalltown in 1986," he said. "It was a good idea immediately embraced by the community. The three main media outlets started the ball rolling, the police department and sheriff's office joined forces, and it took little time to assemble a good board of directors, get 501(c)(3) exempt status, and raise enough money to provide good rewards. The tips have already resulted in arrests, so it is working!"

The board is raising funds to maintain operations and offer rewards. Donations can be made to Marshall County Crime Stoppers, 112 W. Church St., Marshalltown.

Courtesy of the Marshalltown Times-Republican,  By MIKE DONAHEY, February 4, 2016

Marshall County Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information on a cold case murder that happened in Marshalltown 14 years ago.

Ila Mae Clark was found beaten to death in her Marshalltown, Iowa home on August 29, 2001. An autopsy
showed the 73-year-old died from multiple head injuries.

Clark managed a seven-unit apartment complex where many residents paid cash. About $500 was missing from
Clark’s home, which was located less than 100 yards from the apartment building and showed signs of forced
entry. Officials believe robbery was the motive for the attack.

No fingerprints or DNA were found, and no suspect has ever been named in the case.

Assistant Police Chief Brian Batterson — a former detective who worked the original case — said in an August
2011 interview with the Times-Republican that there had been some suspicion of a couple staying at a nearby
hotel on Iowa Avenue, but police had been unable to find evidence connecting them to Clark’s slaying.

The day after the murder, one member of the couple suddenly left for Louisiana, Batterson said. Police learned
through interviews with others that the person had been “freaking out” and wanted to leave Marshalltown
quickly.

Batterson felt the person’s car may have been involved in the crime, and obtained a search warrant. Local
officials in Louisiana did not immediately act on the warrant, however, and the vehicle was involved in a
rollover accident just a few days later.

Because of the accident, much of the forensic evidence was unusable due to the mangled vehicle and blood
from the accident.

One half of the couple has since died, but as of 2011, the other still lived in Marshalltown but consistently
refused to speak with police.

A Fareway receipt found in Clark’s purse placed her at the store at 5:21 p.m. on Aug. 28, so police knew she’d
been alive at least 24 hours before her body was discovered.

Given the amount of traffic in the area, officials believe Clark was murdered sometime after dark that same
evening, or before sunrise the next day.

Batterson said crime scene details indicated that at least two individuals were in Clark’s home, and that a third
party may have waited outside in a getaway car. A confrontation with the intruders may have led to Clark’s
death, Batterson said.

Persons with information or tips should contact Marshall County Crime Stoppers at 641-753-1234, online at
www.marshallcountycs.com or by Text Message to 274637 (CRIMES) and start your text message with
“Marshall” followed by your tip. All tips are anonymous and cannot be traced.

Marshall County Crime Stoppers has added an online donation page. Now you can make an online donation with a few clicks and a credit card number. Crime Stoppers is a local non-profit 501(c3) organization and is funded solely by private donations.

Click on this  link to go to the online donation page.

Marshall County Crime Stoppers has added a Facebook page to provide up to the minute information on Crime Stoppers activities.

Check out the new Marshall County Crime Stoppers Facebook page at facebook.com/marshallcounty cs

Then, be sure to Like the Marshall County Crime Stoppers page.

Marshalltown, IA:  On November 3rd & 16th, 2015 Rogers Elementary School, 406 Summit Street, reported two separate, but similar incidents of vandalism. Both incidents of vandalism resulted in broken windows which will cost over $2,000 to repair.

The November 3rd incident occurred sometime between the end of school day on November 2nd and the beginning of school on November 3rd. The suspect, or suspects, also spray-painted some of the playground equipment.

The November 16th incident occurred sometime over the weekend of November 13th – 16th. Damage was limited to windows during this incident.

The police department and Marshall County Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect, or suspects in this case. Anyone who has information is encouraged to submit a tip by calling Marshall County Crime Stoppers at 641.753.1234, via text by texting the word “marshall” followed by the tip to CRIMES (274637), or online at www.marshallcountycs.com . Information leading to an arrest/conviction may be eligible for a reward.

For more information, please contact Police Chief Michael Tupper by calling 641.754.5725 or via email at [email protected] .

Marshall County residents now have a new tool to keep their communities safe and help law enforcement solve crimes. On September 1, Marshall County Crime Stoppers Board launched its phone line and online service to solicit anonymous tips.

Crime Stoppers is a national organization that offers cash rewards for information that helps lead to an arrest and conviction in a case. Until now, such a program did not exist in Marshall County. A volunteer board of community members spent the past seven months working to make it a reality.

 “The emergence of this program in our area provides a clear pathway between those of us investigating crime and the individuals who have information on criminal activity. It also allows citizens the means of working more directly with public safety as partner, when called upon. The Crime Stoppers program has proven its value all over the United States, and I’m confident it will ultimately make all the communities in Marshall County safer places to live,” said Ted Kamatchus, Marshall County Sheriff.

The board is operating the Crime Stoppers program with the full support of all law enforcement agencies in Marshall County.

 “We are fortunate to live in a community where there are so many people who care about public safety and want to help make our community a great place to live and work. The Crime Stoppers program is a great opportunity to bring law enforcement and the community together for a common cause of reducing crime and arresting criminal offenders. This community driven program will positively impact all of Marshall County now and moving forward into the future. Crime Stoppers will allow our community to proactively address criminal events and emphasize the importance of community partnerships to prevent crime. Through these partnerships we will realize a safer and stronger community,” said Michael Tupper, Marshalltown Police Chief.

Now that the program is up and running, the board is working to secure funding to maintain its operation and to offer as cash rewards.

Donations can be made to the following address:  Marshall County Crime Stoppers, 112 W Church St., Marshalltown, IA 50158.

The Crime Stoppers phone line will be answered 24/7:   641.753.1234

Tips can also be sent online:  www.marshallcountycs.com

By text: 274637 (CRIMES)  Put "Marshall" first followed by text message

Crime Stoppers Poster Link