George W. Douglas, the Clarke County man accused of going armed with intent, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and attempted murder stemming from events that took place Dec. 5, 2024, has been charged with burglary in the second degree and assault while participating in a felony.
Court documents filed by Clarke County Johanna Olson Jan. 9 cite Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure 2.6(1) which says that “two or more indictable public offenses which arise from the same transaction or occurrence or from two or more transactions or occurrences constitution parts of a common scheme or plan.” The motion states that Douglas burgled a firearm from his brother’s residence and used that stolen firearm to shoot Tyler Sutton of New Virginia. After shooting Sutton, Douglas then entered Sutton’s residence, each occurrence as part of the same plan.
The motion further requests the Court enter an order to combine and consolidate Douglas’ new charges with his former charges, and to close and transfer both cases into his first set of charges. Douglas entered a plea of not guilty to all charges and waived his right to a speedy trial Jan. 29. Jury trial is presently set to begin Feb. 11 in Warren County.
Douglas filed his intent to rely on the defense of intoxication in September 2025. If convicted, attempted murder is a Class B felony, armed with intent a Class D felony, possession of a firearm by a felon a Class D felony, burglary in the second degree a Class C offense and assault while participating in a felony a Class C offense. Douglas is currently in the custody of the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office.
On Dec. 5, 2024, the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department responded to a report of a gunshot victim at 3049 Pacific St. in rural Clarke County. There, deputies located Douglas who said he had shot Sutton at Sutton’s New Virginia residence over being given bad drugs; Douglas was subsequently arrested. Officers and EMS personnel then located Sutton at Sutton’s residence suffering from a gunshot wound; he was lifeflighted to Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines.
Douglas entered a guilty plea to the charge of possession of a firearm by a felon Oct. 13, which was accepted by the courts.
While a jury trial was originally scheduled to begin in Clarke County Oct. 13, a lack of impartial jury pool on day one ended with an oral request by Douglas to move the trial outside of Clarke County.
On Dec. 4, 2025, Judge Elisabeth Reynoldson ordered the change of venue to Warren County.