Marion Man Recovering After Jumping Out of a Pickup

An Eastern Iowa man is recovering from injuries, after he intentionally jumped out of a moving pickup.

The Linn County Sheriff was notified of the incident shortly after 5pm Thursday (Aug. 5). It happened on Highway 13 near Mt. Vernon Road, just north of Bertram.

Responding emergency personnel found that a passenger had purposely jumped out of a moving vehicle. The 2014 Dodge Truck had been southbound on Highway 13.

The passenger was identified as 22 year old Zachary Heskje of Marion. According to the sheriff's office, Heskje was apparently intoxicated. He was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. The severity of his injuries was not known.
The driver was identified as 49 year old Ryan Heskje, also of Marion. The relationship between the two men was unknown.

The Linn County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Iowa State Patrol, West Bertram Fire Department, Area Ambulance Service, and the Linn County Sheriff's Rescue.

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(info from AP):

ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) — One of two inmates accused of killing a prison nurse and correctional officer during an escape attempt has pleaded guilty to murder and other counts and confessed in court to fatally beating both with a hammer.

Thomas Woodard Jr. pleaded guilty Friday in Jones County to two counts of first-degree murder, one count of kidnapping and one count of attempted murder.

The 38-year-old Woodard and his co-defendant, 29-year-old Michael Dutcher, had each pleaded not guilty in April to the counts in the March 23 deaths of nurse Lorena Schulte and correctional officer Robert McFarland.

Investigators have said the pair used hammers to beat Schulte and McFarland to death and to seriously injure an inmate who tried to stop the attack at the Anamosa State Penitentiary.