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Active shooter diverts WB school bus
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · January 18, 2018
An active shooter incident along Interstate 80 near Atalissa the afternoon of Jan. 11 led to West Branch Community Schools diverting a bus route to avoid the area.
Iowa State Patrol exchanged fire with, and then arrested, Charles Johnston, 60, of Belvidere, Ill., after a 911 call at 2:24 p.m. from a rest stop east of the 267 milemarker, Department of Criminal Investigations Special Agent Ryan Hansen said.
Johnston on Friday afternoon appeared before Cedar County Magistrate Trey Sucher, who ordered him held on $1 million bond.
The indictment states that Iowa State Trooper Sgt. David Saldiver approached Johnston sitting in his black Volkswagon, Johnston aimed a handgun in his direction and fired. Saldiver returned fire.
Additional charges may come later. A preliminary hearing is set for 9:30 a.m. Jan. 18.
Hansen said Johnston allegedly stopped at the rest stop, fired some shots, then drove westbound on I-80 to the Atalissa exit, County Road X46, and headed into the Pilot Travel Center, “where he fired more rounds at motorists at the BP gas station.”
“Troopers encountered the suspect on County RD X46 where they engaged him and exchanged gunfire,” read a DCI press release. “After a brief stand-off Troopers/Officers were able to take the suspect into custody.”
Police took Johnston to the Cedar County Jail and charged with attempted murder, a Class B felony, and assault on a peace officer with a dangerous weapon.
No one was injured, though bullets struck one or two vehicles, Hansen said.
During the incident, one school bus route was diverted as a precaution, according to an e-mail from West Branch Community School Superintendent Kevin Hatfield.
West Branch Police Department Sgt. Kory Hanna was on duty and responded to the ISP’s request for assistance.
“During the search for the suspect(s) our department assisted in stopping a suspect who was cleared due to real time reports of the shooter taking shoots at vehicles / travelers on interstate 80,” West Branch City Administrator Redmond Jones II wrote in a Jan. 10 e-mail to the Times, city staff and others. “An arrest was made by the Highway Patrol with no injuries reported by the public or law enforcement. At this time all reports indicate that it was a lone gunman, and that the situation has been totally neutralized.”
Hatfield commended law enforcement for its help.
“Our sincere thanks to our outstanding police department and all of the law enforcement people involved,” he wrote. “Hoping everyone is safe! Thanks for informing our school district of the incident in advance of a bus route that travels near the area! We were able to divert the route.”
School Transportation Director Tammy Oaks said that, a couple years ago, the school worked with law enforcement to allow police to tap into the school’s digital radio system. The ISP used that system in this incident, alerting the bus drivers to avoid I-80 near Atalissa.
Oaks said the ISP contacted the school “before we were anywhere near there.”
“I don’t think the kids ever knew” about the danger, she said. “It’s nice we had the extra communications.”
Bus driver Bob Cahill drives the route that takes children home to the Atalissa area. He leaves the school with a full bus, but said about 10 children remain on the bus when he reaches that point on his route.
The diversion added about 20 minutes to his route, Cahill said.
ISP blocked off the 265 exit, Hansen said. and several other law enforcement agencies responded to assist: Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Cedar County Sherriff’s Office, Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, West Branch Police Department, West Liberty Police Department, Department of Transportation and Emergency Medical Services.
Initial reports stated that the incident may have happened closer to West Branch, but Hansen said some deputies and local officers refer to the rest stop as the “West Branch rest area.”
“There was nothing in West Branch,” he said.
At least one semi truck was struck by a bullet at the travel center, Hansen said, and he heard a second vehicle driving along I-80 may have been struck as well.
He did not know how long it took law enforcement to arrive on the scene, but said it was “very quick.”
The 265 exit was closed for “several hours” but I-80 remained open, Hansen said.
— Stuart Clark of the Tipton Conservative contributed to this report
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