Iowa Concerns of Police Survivors

Patrolman Sylvan Dykstra was accidentally shot and killed by another officer at the department's booking window at 6th and Water Streets.

The officers were standing on opposite sides of the window discussing a case when the other officer's weapon discharged. The round struck Patrolman Dykstra in the head, killing him.

Patrolman Dykstra, a WWII U.S. Marine Corps veteran, had served with the Sioux City Police Department for 5 years. He is survived by his wife and child.

Conservation Officer Harry Blomquist succumbed to injuries sustained when his vehicle rolled over as he attempted to avoid a collision at the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 93, west of Tripoli.

He was transported to a hospital in Waterloo following the accident and died the following day.

He had been assigned to work in the conservation department's exhibit in the state fair and was traveling from West Union to Des Moines when the crash occurred. His wife and children, who were accompanying him on the trip, were all injured in the crash.

Officer Blomquist had served with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for four years and was assigned to Fayette and Winneshiek Counties. He was survived by his wife and children.

Policeman Glen Crouse was killed in an automobile accident at the intersection of Beer Garden Road and Highway 330 while pursuing a reckless driver shortly after midnight.

Policeman Crouse, along with three other officers riding in the car, had chased the vehicle from downtown Marshalltown until it stopped at the intersection. The police car slid on ice and then struck an embankment. All four officers were transported to a local hospital where Policeman Crouse succumbed to his injuries about eight hours later.

The driver and two occupants of the vehicle were arrested later in the day and charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries.

Policeman Crouse was survived by his wife and son.

Patrolman Harold DeGear was killed when he was crushed between his patrol car and another car during a traffic stop on 6th Street SW near 20th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids.

As he wrote a ticket to the driver of the vehicle he had stopped another vehicle attempted to pass a truck and struck the rear the Trooper DeGear's patrol car. Patrolman DeGear was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Patrolman DeGear was a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran of both WWII and the Korean War. He had served with the Iowa Highway Patrol for 6-1/2 years. He was survived by his wife and 2-year-old son.

Night Marshal Charles Loucks suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after struggling with several youths in front of a tavern.

The tavern owner had called Marshal Loucks to the establishment after four started causing a disturbance with the owner refused to serve them alcohol because of their age. A brief struggle ensued before Marshal Loucks and a sheriff's deputy were able to subdue them.

Marshal Loucks began to walk two of the youths to the jail while the deputy dealt with the other two. A short time later two women informed the deputy that Marshal Loucks had collapsed.

Three of the youths were held in connection with Marshal Loucks' death while the fourth was charged with public intoxication.

Patrolman Ralph Garthwaite was killed when his patrol car was struck head-on by a drunk driver on Highway 30 two miles north of Woodbine.

The incident occurred on a bridge as Patrolman Garhwaite travelled northbound towards Dunlap, Iowa.

The subject, who refused to take a blood test, was charged with manslaughter. A jury found him innocent on November 30th, 1956.

Patrolman Garthwaite was a United States Army WWII veteran and had served with the Iowa State Patrol for three years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Officer Pearce was shot and killed during an escape attempt by a teenage boy he had just arrested. Officer Pearce and his partner had arrested three boys and two girls after a short car chase and transported them back to the police department on the first floor of the Buchanan County Courthouse. They put the three boys in an internal room with Officer Pearce's partner watching them and the two girls in an outer room. One of the boys jumped from a window when he was permitted to use the bathroom. The boy then retrieved a shotgun from the backseat of their vehicle, which had been transported to the police department.

The suspect re-entered the department and pointed the shotgun at Officer Pearce. He then demanded that Officer Pearce remove his pistol with his left hand. As Officer Pearce complied, the boy shot him once in the chest with the shotgun. After freeing the two girls, the boy fled the scene but was later arrested.

The 18-year-old suspect was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He was the youngest murderer ever to receive a death sentence in Iowa. His sentence was commuted to life in 1957. In 2021, he died in prison.

Officer Pearce had been with the Independence Police Department for two years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, mother, and brother.

Patrolman William Mehlhorn was shot and killed with his own weapon, a .357-caliber Colt revolver, while attempting to arrest a burglary suspect.

The suspect was caught by the desk clerk at the Martin Hotel, located at 514 Sycamore Street, stealing money from the cash register. The man fled, and the clerk followed him. When Patrolman Mehlhorn and another officer arrived, they pursued the suspect on foot. In the alley behind the hotel and off Park Avenue, Patrolman Mehlhorn tackled the suspect, and a struggle ensued. The suspect grabbed his weapon and fired, striking him in his hand and entering his abdomen. The suspect continued to run and fired at additional officers pursuing him. He was apprehended when he was shot by one of the officers.

The suspect, who was a convicted felon, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. His wound caused him to be paralyzed until his death six years later.

Patrolman Mehlhorn was a United States Navy WWII veteran and a United States Marine Corps Reserve Korean War veteran. He had served with the Waterloo Police Department for two years. He was survived by his wife and four children.

Sheriff Jake Mulder suffered a fatal heart attack while he and his deputy struggled with an emotionally disturbed person.

He and the deputy had gone to serve mental commitment papers on the man.

Sheriff Mulder had served with the O'Brien County Sheriff's Department for five years and had previously served with the Sheldon Police Department for 30 years. He was survived by his wife, four sons, and daughter.

Officer John Lievens was killed after being crushed between a wrecker and a car while providing traffic control east of Grinnell.

Officer Lievens had served with the agency for 10 years. He was survived by his wife, son, and two daughters.

Police Officer William Hickman succumbed to complications of an internal injury he sustained while assisting at a crash scene near the intersection of East 2nd Avenue and South 5th Street on November 1st, 1957.

He had responded to the scene of a crash involving a vehicle that struck a large drain tile in the roadway. He suffered an internal abdominal injury as he attempted to move the drain tile out of the roadway.

The following month he underwent surgery as a result of the injury. He developed a fatal pulmonary embolism after the surgery.

Officer Hickman had served with the Indianola Police Department for 11 years. He was survived by his wife.

Detective Sergeant William Jurgens was shot and killed while assisting another officer arrest a suspect in a kidnapping case. As Sergeant Jurgens pulled up to the scene of the arrest, the man was able to gain control of the other officer's weapon and began shooting. Sergeant Jurgens was struck in the head and the other officer was wounded. The suspect was apprehended by other officers arriving on the scene. A woman, who the suspect had abducted at knife point from a nightclub, escaped unharmed during the shooting.

The suspect was convicted of first degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison October 8, 1958. On October 7, 1973, he escaped from the Iowa Penitentiary. On December 3, 1975, he was captured by an FBI agent near Clovis, New Mexico. He died in prison August 27, 1996.

Sergeant Jurgens had served with the agency for 17 years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

Deputy Sheriff Jimmie Biggs was killed in an on-duty airplane crash approximately 5-1/2 miles southeast of Arthur, Ida County, at about 11:30 pm.

He and the Woodbury County Attorney were returning from Des Moines after taking a girl to the Iowa State Training School.

Deputy Sheriff Biggs was a WWII veteran. He had served with the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office for one year and had previously served with the Sioux City Police Department for five years. He was survived by his wife and three children.