Minnesota authorities arrest Iowa man accused of killing police officer
Sept. 14 (UPI) -- An Iowa man suspected of shooting and killing a police officer was charged with murder on Thursday after he was arrested in Minnesota, officials said.
Kyle Lou Ricke, 43, was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of the officer identified as 33-year-old Algona police Kevin Cram.
Ricke was arrested just before midnight in Sleepy Eye, Minn., without incident after authorities accused him of shooting Cram at about 8 p.m. Wednesday in Algona, Iowa. Additional details about the encounter were not immediately released.
Ricke is set to be extradited back to Iowa in the coming days.
During the search for Ricke, Algona residents were told to lock all doors and vehicles and stay inside.
Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens on Thursday morning said Cram had worked in law enforcement for 10 years and was on patrol duty when he learned of the active warrant out for Ricke and believed he knew where to find him.
"Algona police officer Kevin Cram died because he answered the call to serve," Bayens said. "Algona police officer Kevin Cram died because he chose to be a beacon of light. Algona police officer Kevin Cram died because he was willing to stand in the gap between good and evil."
Ricke was charged on Wednesday before the shooting with third-degree harassment in an unrelated case where his ex-wife accused him of sending dozens of text messages and tried calling her several times within a two-hour span.
Despite being told not to contact the woman by police, Ricke allegedly sent her messages and emails the following day, leading to him appearing in court on Wednesday, with a court date set for Nov. 3.
