Anamosa police officer killed in head-on crash

     Anamosa Police Officer Mitchell Kelchen, 40, of Bellevue, was laid to rest Saturday, Sept. 9. Kelchen was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Highway 62 in Jackson County on Sept. 2.

     According to the Iowa State Patrol, the accident occurred at 7:38 a.m. Marjorie Louise Hendrickson, 60, of Bellevue was driving a 2008 Chrysler Town & County northbound on Highway 62, south of 167^th Street. Tina Marie Kelchen, 40, also of Bellevue, was driving a 2012 Buick Enclave. Officer Kelchen was a passenger in the vehicle, which was traveling south. Hendrickson crossed the centerline and struck the Kelchens head-on in the southbound lane.

     Both Tina Kelchen and Hendrickson were transported by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Mitchell Kelchen was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital were he was pronounced dead.

     While the accident remains under investigation, hundreds of law enforcement and emergency responders turned out for Kelchen’s funeral on Saturday in Bellevue. A long line of police squad cars lined the streets of Bellevue leading to St. Joseph Catholic Church. Officers from all over the state were in attendance.

     Kelchen previously worked for the Cascade and Dyersville police departments before coming to Anamosa.

     He leaves behind his wife, Tina, and four children.

     His squad car was on display in front of the Anamosa Police Station, where people displayed flowers in his memory.