Community Corner

Weird Iowa Rewind: Thief Poses as Custodian, Tweet-Up with Obama, When Animals Attack, Cop Punched in Groin

Election weird both naughty and nice. And attack by both animals and people. It's Weird Iowa.

Editor's Note: Each weekend Patch brings you the top weird, or strange news from around Iowa. Here's a quick recap on what you may have missed last weekend.

Iowa continues to show its quirky, some would say weird, side.

First off, we have Iowa election-style nice that's a bit weird.

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Marion native  to get Barack Obama to visit his team. The Wisconsin Badger started sending tweets requesting the president play basketball before his Oct. 4 stop in Madison, home of the University of Wisconsin.

Soon after, his tweets and requests went viral and spread like wildfire to state and national media. Obama met briefly with the team on his visit.

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And then there's naughty, weird election-related crime from Cedar Falls.

Waterloo police charged Jesse Wardell Stubblefield, 54, of Waterloo, with second-degree theft after money and a laptop was allegedly stolen from the Waterloo office of newly re-elected Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, and a second laptop was taken from an Obama for America staffer. Authorities said the suspect posed as part of a cleaning crew.

Beware, coyotes are invading Johnston. OK, that might be an exaggeration, but for several weeks the Johnston Police Department has received calls of coyote sightings near Summit Middle School, prompting a warning to residents. The city, along with the Johnston school district, will hold a community meeting on Nov. 15 to address the concerns.

Waukee was under attack recently -- from zombies. The Waukee Library's Teen Advisory Board, Waukee Public Library staff and Waukee Middle School all worked together Oct. 31 to recreate Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video. Check out the video of teen zombies dancing with a hippo. Really.

This is a serious bit of weirdness, because you seldom hear of people undergoing rabies shots. But in Urbandale, two people bitten by a black cat wearing a pink collar in the downtown Urbandale area are now being treated to prevent rabies. Police are seeking the ferocious feline and its owner.

And it wouldn't be Weird Iowa without some mayhem from Iowa City, where a woman threatened and attacked officers after she was brought to the Johnson County Jail. Ayla Shay McFarland, 21, of Iowa City allegedly resisted being put into handcuffs, telling officers at the jail that she would fight them.

As the fighting escalated, McFarland reportedly punched one officer in the groin area about "three times." Officers used a Taser on McFarland and she threatened them, saying she would shoot them in the face and drink their blood, according to the criminal complaint. McFarland was charged with assault on a peace officer.

More Weird:

Weird Iowa: Constipated Cow, Totally Indecent Exposure and Losing is the New Winning

Weird Iowa: Dad Invades Soccer Game; Dad Calls Cops on Son; King Explains Comparing Immigrants to Dogs

Weird Iowa: Mother's Day Brawl; Stranger Danger; Reward Offered for Vandals; WWII and WWI Artifacts Stolen from Museum


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