On Thursday, November 11, 2021, at approximately 2:40 p.m., the Ottumwa Police Department received a 911 call from the resident of 105 N. Hancock reporting that someone had been stabbed in the alley behind the residence. Police arrived at the scene and found a male victim with multiple stab wounds. The victim was identified as Gerald William Sapp, age 55, of Ottumwa. Sapp was a guest at this residence and was working on a vehicle just off of the alley behind the 105 N. Hancock address.
Witnesses at the scene identified the assailant and the location that the assailant was believed to have gone after the assault. Police subsequently established a perimeter around 110 N. Weller, while officers processed the crime scene in the alley, and applied for a search warrant for the Weller Street address. At approximately 7:42 p.m., officers entered the residence and found the suspect hiding inside a closet. The suspect was transported to the hospital for an evaluation. Officers did recover potential evidence of the crime as a result of the search. On Friday, November 12, 2021, at approximately 3:58 a.m., officers arrested Douglas Raymond Spurgeon, age 42, of 110 N. Weller. Spurgeon was charged with Murder 1st Degree, a Class “A”
On Tuesday, June 28, 2022 at approximately 4:24 p.m., Officers responded to the area of East Main and Brick Row on a report that a male was bleeding from his head and neck.
On Thursday, April 28, 2022, at approximately 8:06 p.m., the Ottumwa Police Department received a report of a suspicious male who was attempting to lure a child into his car.
On Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at approximately 8:11 p.m., the Ottumwa Police Department responded to 424 N. Court, Apartment 3, Ottumwa, on a report that a male had been shot at this address.
The Ottumwa Police Department would like request the assistance of the public regarding a missing person investigation. On August 28, 2019, Timothy William-Michal Fortney was reported missing to the police department. At the time he was reported missing, Fortney had not been seen for over a year.
The Ottumwa Police Department has dedicated and professional men and women who strive to deliver the best possible law enforcement service to the citizens of Ottumwa. The Police Department is authorized to have 42 sworn positions. Five of these positions are ancillary and are not fully funded by the city’s general fund. These positions include two investigators assigned to the southeast Iowa Inter-Agency drug Task Force and three officers assigned as School Resource Officers. Currently there are 39 sworn officers working for the department, two officers attending the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and one officer beginning the Patrol Training Program.
The Ottumwa Municipal Code allows residents to legally keep rabbits and chickens within the city limits of Ottumwa under a permit issued by the Ottumwa Police Department. Persons wishing to keep chickens and rabbits must meet certain requirements in order to receive a permit.
