Trucker shot and killed at Iowa rest area, suspect arrested

Updated Sep 17, 2017
Mariana T. Lesnic (Iowa County Sheriff’s Office photo)Mariana T. Lesnic (Iowa County Sheriff’s Office photo)

A woman has been charged in the shooting death of a truck driver at an I-80 rest area in Iowa early Wednesday, Sept. 6.

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Department says 60-year-old Ernest D. Kummer of Monroe, Iowa, was shot and killed in the cab of his truck in the westbound I-80 rest area at mile marker 208 near Victor, west of Iowa City. The Pioneer Press reports Kummer drove for Copeland Trucking since 2010.

The Iowa City Press Citizen reports that Mariana T. Lesnic, 43, was found at the scene and taken into custody. She was charged with first-degree murder and was being held at the Iowa County jail in Marengo on a $1 million cash-only bond.

In a criminal complaint, investigators allege that Lesnic killed Kummer “willfully, deliberately and with premeditation by shooting him with a firearm.” No motive was given.

The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2022 edition of Partners in Business.
Download
Partners in Business Issue Cover