Woman Pleads Guilty In 2018 Hit-and-Run Death Of Maynard Boy

A former Cedar Falls woman charged in a hit-and-run accident that killed a Fayette County teenager could be spending the next 10 years in prison.

According to the Des Moines Register, 27-year-old Kelli Jo Michael will be sentenced for vehicle homicide in the death of Kaiden Estling at a later date. The newspaper reported Tuesday that the Des Moines woman pleaded guilty to the charge last week under a plea agreement that resulted in another charge against her, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, being dropped.

Court documents show that Michael will be required to pay Estling's family $150,000 in restitution.

The accident that resulted in Estling's death occurred on June 28, 2018. Sheriff's officials said the 14-year-old Maynard boy was struck and killed while driving his moped on Iowa Highway 150 approximately two miles south of Fayette just after 10 PM.

According to information released by authorities following the crash, Estling lost of control of the moped and ended up near a ditch after being hit. He was pronounced dead at the scene after multiple life-saving attempts.

Michael was allegedly texting and driving at the time of the accident. The Register reported that she admitted to driving recklessly the night of the crash.

Fayette County sheriff's officials arrested Michael nearly two years to the day after the accident occurred. She was taken into custody on on June 26, 2020.

Source: Des Moines Register

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Kittens and Puppies

Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.

Filed Under: Accident, Fayette County, nl, Sheriff

Categories: Cedar Valley News