The memorial site for a north Iowa bicyclist who was struck and killed by a motor vehicle last year was targeted by thieves/vandals last weekend.
A Mason City Police Department Facebook post says that over the past weekend, various items were removed and/or stolen from the memorial site for Jenny Buls-Vrba. If you have information about this incident, please contact MCPD at 641-421-3636.
18-year-old Jade Quam of Mason City is accused of driving a vehicle when it struck 42-year-old Buls-Vrba who was walking her bike in the 1500 block of Plymouth Road in Mason City on July 24, 2024. Buls-Vrba was taken to MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City, where she was later pronounced dead.
Quam was 17 at the time of the accident and was initially charged in juvenile court, but the case was waived to district court in April. She was allegedly using a handheld electronic communication device when the collision occurred.
Quam has pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide by reckless driving, a Class C felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Her trial is scheduled for December 2nd in Cerro Gordo County District Court.
A pretrial conference is slated for November 18th, at which time a judge is expected to make a decision on the defense’s request to suppress evidence gathered from Quam’s phone. They argue that the search warrant for her phone failed to identify the crime being investigated, was unconstitutionally broad, and failed to connect the phone with any criminal conduct being investigated.
