CHEROKEE COUNTY, Iowa – Officials in Cherokee County are investigating a suspected homicide that happened in the early morning hours of Monday.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office says at about 12:30 a.m., the county’s communication center received a 911 call saying a man had been run over at a farm place east of the town of Cherokee.
The caller also told dispatch that the driver who ran over the subject had left the scene.
First responders attempted life-saving measures on the victim. However, the man, identified as 47-year-old Christopher Wheeler, was pronounced dead a short time later.
During the investigation, the driver was identified as 66-year-old Richard Hammond.
According to court documents, two witnesses saw Wheeler get run over by a Chevrolet Silverado. Those documents show that these witnesses knew Hammond and identified him as the driver, and both stated “that Hammond 100% intended to run over the victim.”
“Both witnesses stated that Hammond entered the driveway to the acreage at a high rate of speed and was driving towards a pickup that Wheeler was working on. Wheeler then tried to run away. Hammond ran over Wheeler and turned and sped off, leaving the scene,” stated authorities in court documents.
Hammond was later located and booked into the Cherokee County Jail for first-degree murder. He remains in jail on no bond.
The incident is under investigation by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa DCI.
(This story courtesy of our media partner KTIV TV in Sioux City)
