New trial ordered in Davenport chase case

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A new trial has been ordered for a man convicted of ramming a police car on a Davenport bridge.

Michael Cross was convicted in December 2011 and given five years in prison for assaulting a police officer and for possessing drugs.

On Wednesday the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that the trial court unfairly allowed prejudicial statements. The Appeals Court also says the drug charge should be dismissed because there wasn’t enough evidence to sustain it.

Police say Cross was being followed by officers in August 2011 because he was a suspect in an earlier shooting at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds in Davenport. Officers tried to stop him from crossing the Centennial Bridge into Rock Island, Ill., but he rammed a squad car.

The bridge carries U.S. Highway 67 traffic.