Lang
9/19/23
A suspect in a pair of Iowa City home invasions has been given a 25-year prison sentence.
42-year-old Rick Wappler of Cascade, Wisconsin reached a plea deal with prosecutors earlier this month. He pleaded guilty to one 1st Degree Robbery charge in exchange for two counts of 1st Degree Burglary and Going Armed with Intent and one count each of 1st Degree Robbery, 1st Degree Theft and Eluding being dropped.
During an August 3rd traffic stop near the intersection of South Riverside Drive and Highway 6 East, Wappler told an officer he was on the run from law enforcement. Police say Wappler then grabbed a knife and threatened to kill the officer before driving away. The pursuit was ended due to the risk to public safety.
Later that night the ICPD received a report of a hit-and-run crash, a robbery and a carjacking in the 100 block of Prairie Hill Lane. Arriving officers located Wappler inside a vehicle, and a standoff began. Law enforcement then learned of an earlier additional break-in involving Wappler in the same block.
Officers took Wappler into custody after approximately three hours of negotiations. An Iowa City officer fired his weapon once during the incident, but Wappler was not hit.
Wappler was given a 25-year prison sentence by Judge David Cox earlier this month.