Ottumwa police find homicide suspect hiding in closet
Ottumwa police say they have made an arrest in a stabbing death that happened Thursday.
According to police, officers were called to a home in the 100 block of North Hancock Street at about 2:40 p.m. Arriving officers found a man with multiple stab wounds in an alley behind the home. He was later identified as 55-year-old Gerald William Sapp.
Police said Sapp was a guest at the home and was working on a vehicle in the alley when the stabbing occurred.
“Witnesses at the scene identified the assailant and the location that the assailant was believed to have gone after the assault. Police subsequently established a perimeter around 110 N. Weller, while officers processed the crime scene in the alley, and applied for a search warrant for the Weller Street address. At approximately 7:42 p.m., officers entered the residence and found the suspect hiding inside a closet,” police said through a news release.
Police said the suspect, 42-year-old Douglas Raymond Spurgeon, was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, then arrested early Friday morning and charged with first-degree murder.
He is being held in the Wapello County Jail without bond.
Check the KCCI Breaking News and Weather App for updates on this developing story.