Man accused of rape fires himself as his lawyer

Iowa - Jack Leonard Hays held on to his right to act as his own defense attorney in court while facing sexual assault and burglary charges - until the final hours before his trial. Hays - who is accused of raping an acquaintance - abruptly fired himself as his own counsel during a court appearance. For months, he had attempted to mount his own defense with only a paralegal certificate earned online and work in a prison law library as his legal experience..More

Iowa Kmart workers open tin can, find $10,000

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- When employees of a Des Moines Kmart store finally opened a red tin can that had been sitting on the customer service counter for four days, they got a $10,000 surprise. The can contained $10,380 in assorted bills. Employees called police after opening the can Friday---...More

Stupid News-Iowa man charged after allegedly eating bag of pot

IOWA CITY, Iowa – A man has been arrested in the Iowa City area after police say he tried to eat a bag of marijuana to avoid drug charges. University Heights police said the man was pulled over early Sunday for a traffic violation. Police said the officers noticed a marijuana odor on his breath, and a green, leafy substance on his shirt.

Police Chief Ron Fort said the officers then discovered the man had a partially eaten plastic bag in his mouth.

Fort said the suspect eventually gagged, and a medium sized bag came out of his mouth.

The man was charged with preventing apprehension and obstructing prosecution and third-offense drug possession.

Information from: The Gazette, http://www.gazetteonline.com/