McClure pleads not guilty, will face late spring trial

Sigourney, Iowa- A Richland man facing felony charges for shooting a shotgun at a Keokuk County Deputy will stand trial later this year. Michael McClure entered a formal not guilty plea on January 31, to charges of going armed with intent, assault on a peace officer with a firearm, and reckless use of a firearm. The charges stem from an early January incident involving McClure and Keokuk County Deputy Sheriff Jeff Runnells.

According to a criminal complaint, the Keokuk County 911 center received a 911 call from McClure on January 6, reporting several people in his yard, messing with his dogs and getting into the dog kennel.

            “The defendant reported to dispatch that he had a gun and would protect his dogs and property,” states the complaint.

            Deputy Sheriff Jeff Runnells was dispatched and upon arrival, approached McClure’s house and knocked on the door.

            “While waiting for an answer at the door, a shotgun blast came from inside the residence, and the kitchen window shattered out within four feet of where I was standing,” Runnells writes in the complaint.

For more on this story and others, catch the February 6 edition of the News-Review.

For more on this story, catch the February 6 edition of the News-Review.