Iowa attorney accused of using racial slurs after fire victims declined legal aid
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Updated: 2:59 AM CDT May 7, 2021
Andrew Mollenbeck
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Updated: 2:59 AM CDT May 7, 2021
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RIGHT NOW. STEVE: FIRST AT 6:00, A KCCI EXCLUSIVE. STACEY: WE CAN FIR BECAM MORE EXPLOSIVE -- EVEN MORE DEVASTATING FOR SOME PEOPLE WHEN AN ATTORNEY STARTED HURLING RACIAL SLURS AT HIS NEIGHBORS. KCCI’S ANDREW MOLLENBECK IS LIVE IN WEST DES MOINES WITH HOW THIS ALREADY DIFFICULT SITUATION ESCALATED. ANDREW POLICE HERE IN WEST DES : MOINES TELL ME GROUPS FORMED OUTSIDE THE APARTMENT COMPLEX DURING THE FIRE SATURDAY EVENING. AND WITNESSES SAY THE CONVERSATION TURNED SUDDENLY. VIDEO WE GOT FROM A NEIGHBOR SHOWS SOME OF THE MOMENTS WHEN ADAM KEHRWALD WAS TALKING OUTSIDE WITH PEOPLE WHO HA ESCAPED THE APARTMENT FIRE AT REGENCY WOODS RIGHT AS THINGS BEGIN TO ESCALAT >> I JUST COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT HE DID THAT. ANDREW: PAULA BLACK SAYS SHE’S KNOWN KEHRWALD FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. SHE SAYS SHE WAS SCARED AS HE BECAME MORE THREATENING. >> WE TRIED TO CALM HIM DOWN, ME AND ANOTHER GIRL, AND I TO ADAM, PLEASE DON’T TALK LIKE THAT. THAT’S NOT NICE. THEN HE WENT AROUND THE CORNER AND STARTED YELLING AT ALL THOSE PEOPLE ANDREW: ACCORDING TO INVESTIGATORS, KEHRWALD INITIALLY OFFERED HIS LEGAL HELP TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE FIRE. THEY DECLINED, AND THAT’S WHEN HIS ATTITUDE FLIPPED WEST DES MOINES POLICE SGT. JASON HEINTZ SAYS KEHRWALD BEGAN THREATENING THE VERY PEOPLE HE FIRST OFFERED TO HELP. >> HE STARTED USING THE RACIAL SLURS, AND THEN EVENTUALLY STATED THAT HE WAS GOING TO GO GET A FIREARM AND RETURN. SO OUR OFFICERS DECIDED TO INTERVENE AT THAT TIME. ANDREW: BUT THE ARREST DID NOT GO SMOOTHLY. POLICE SAY KEHRWALD WENT FROM MAKING VERBAL THREATS TO PHYSICALLY PUNCHING TH >> WHEN THEY WENT TO PLACE HIM INTO CUSTODY, HE BEGAN TO FIGHT. HE STRUCK A COUPLE OF THE IN THE FACE WITH A FIST AND AN ELBOW. AND THEN HE ALSO ASSAULTED A THIRD FEMALE OFFICER THAT WE HAD ON SCENE BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO TAKE HIM INTO CUSTODY ANDREW: INVESTIGATORS SAY POLICE BODY CAMERA VIDEO CAPTURES THESE MOMENTS, BOTH THE THREATS AND THE FIGHTING, BUT THAT VIDEO IS NOT BEING RELEASED. KEHRWALD FACES A SERIES OF CHARGES, INCLUDING USING ABUSI EPITHETS AND ASSAULTING A PEACE OFFICER CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY. WE DIDN’T REACH OUT TOTHE LAWYER BY PHONE BUT HE DECLINED TO COMME