On Saturday, May 28, 2011, Waterloo Police were called to Covenant Medical Center on report of a stolen vehicle. The victim, Richard Gronowski of Dike, IA reported that he left his 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer parked and running outside the hospital as he went inside to get his wife and their newborn baby. When he returned the vehicle was gone.

On Wednesday, June 1, 2011, the Chevrolet Trailblazer was located in Buckeye, IA. Waterloo Police Lab personnel went to scene to look for evidence. Officers located DNA on a Mountain Dew bottle that was left in the vehicle. Police later sent the DNA to the State of Iowa DCI Laboratory in Ankeny, IA for testing.

The State DCI Lab was able to match the DNA obtained from the Mountain Dew bottle with the known DNA of Troy Allen Clarkson, age 33, of Grimes, IA.

On Tuesday, November 29, 2011, Waterloo Police obtained an arrest warrant for Clarkson charging him with Theft in the First Degree for stealing the Chevrolet Trailblazer, bond $10,000.00.

Clarkson is currently being held in the Dallas County Jail on Burglary-3rd, Criminal Mischief-3rd, Trespass and Theft-5th charges related to a criminal investigation in Dallas County.

Captain Tim Pillack
Waterloo Police Investigations