Author: Yorke Prough

There has been an update to a murder case in Keokuk from January 22^nd. After a physical altercation took place between Gary L. Rockenbach, 84, and his son, Craig L. Rockenbach, 43, Gary was transported to a medical facility to receive treatment for his injuries.

At that time, Craig was arrested for Assault Causing Bodily Injury. One week later, the Keokuk Police Department received additional information in regard to the internal injuries suffered by Gary Rockenbach. The original charge was amended to Willful Injury Causing Serious Injury. Gary passed away in a medical facility on February 1^st.

Then, the Lee County Attorney amended the charge in this case. Craig Rockenbach is now charged with Murder in the 2^nd Degree.

There was a car vs semi accident on Monday morning.

According to a police report, a Nissan sedan, owned and operated by John Kline of Mt. Pleasant, was attempting to turn North onto Iris Road from Washington St. The vehicle was struck by a Semi Truck, operated by Elton Spell of Texas, who was traveling west on Washington St through the intersection.

There was a combined $25,000 estimated damage to both vehicles. John Kline was transported to the Henry County Health Center by ambulance.

The Mt. Pleasant Police Department was assisted by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office and Mt. Pleasant Fire and Rescue.

This accident remains under investigation.

There was a two-vehicle accident in Washington County that left a total of five people injured on Friday, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

A vehicle driven by 69-year-old John Schrock of Wellman was traveling northbound on Highway 1. Meanwhile, a second vehicle, driven by 38-year-old Aurelio Munguia from Washington County, was traveling southbound on the same highway.

Schrocks vehicle crossed the center line at approximately 7:46pm and collided with the second vehicle. Both units came to rest on the west side of Highway 1. Both drivers were injured and taken to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, Schrock via Washington County Ambulance and Munguia through Air Care. There were three juveniles taken to the hospital as well as a result of this collision.

The incident remains under investigation through the Iowa State Patrol, who were also assisted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

The Harlan-Lincoln House hosted a very special guest on Monday. An event held at the Union Block of Mount Pleasant saw a young man from Buffalo, New York, share his vast knowledge on a subject he cares deeply about.

So, what is it that a 21-year-old man is so interested in? Typically, you might expect cars, the stock market, or maybe a sports team. This is not the case for Ethan Afshani. He has a vast knowledge and collection of the 16^th president of the United States Abraham Lincoln memorabilia.

Ethan Afshani began collecting Lincoln memorabilia on his 17^th birthday, and it has turned into an insatiable hunger. He recently contacted the Harlan-Lincoln House to ask about a pair of glasses belonging to the Lincoln family at one point. As fate would have it, the young man from New York would be in a town just a 3-and-a-half-hour drive away on Saturday. After more conversation, it was determined that he could share a presentation in Mount Pleasant.

Many people sat in awe as Ethan shared different items of his collection and dove into the history behind them. A white house dining room chair from Lincoln’s time, a pair of his reading glasses, and even 5 hairs from the late president, were just some of the items he shared today.

Ethan spoke about the process of proving what is from Lincoln and what is fraud. Apparently, there are more fake items than real items. When asked if he had ever purchased a forgery when he was younger, he responded “I couldn’t afford it!” He stated that many forgeries are around the same price as real items.

He now owns a chair that the Lincoln family brought to the White House. It then went to Abraham’s wife, then his son, before it was sent to a businessman. After that, a school owned the chair before trading it to an antique dealer, where it circulated through multiple antiques dealers before landing in Ethan’s collection. He doesn’t plan on seeing it go through so many hands anymore, as he commented, “I’m taking it to the grave.”

His collection of around 60 items is impressive, yet he would love to continue to watch it grow. The Harlan-Lincoln house has a wide variety of items related to the 16^th president. According to Ethan, the glasses on display that were owned by Robert Todd Lincoln are very rare and historic, as he has only seen one or two others.

The Harlan-Lincoln House will resume regular hours in March. For more information or to schedule a tour, visit Harlanlincoln.org.

There’s trouble in Van Buren County, as there have been two thefts reported in Milton in just the past 3 days. On February 17^th, a Honda CR125 Dirt bike was reported stolen from a yard on Old Main St. Today, an older model Green Polaris Ranger with homemade wooden doors was reported stolen from a yard of a residence on E. Harris St.

Please call the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office if you have any information regarding these thefts at 319 293 3426. You can also text the TIP line at 319 931 3973.