Kyle Lou Ricke

SLEEPY EYE — A 43-year-old Iowa man accused of murdering a 33-year-old Algona, Iowa police officer Wednesday peacefully turned himself in to authorities in on the 29000 block of 210th Street, Leavenworth Township, several miles southwest of Sleepy Eye early Thursday morning.

Kyle Lou Ricke was transported to the Brown County Jail and booked at 4:13 a.m. Thursday, Brown County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeremy Reed said. He remains in jail, pending extradition to Iowa for first-degree murder.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Minnesota State Patrol and Iowa Department of Public Safety with information about an individual identified as being involved in the shooting an Algona, Iowa Police officer at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Algona police officer Kevin Cram, 33, tried to serve an arrest warrant for an harassment charge on Ricke who allegedly shot Cram when he told the suspect he would be arrested, according to Iowa Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation Mitch Mortvedt.

Cram died in a local hospital, according to authorities.

Ricke’s harassment charge involved 63 messages Ricke allegedly sent to his ex-girlfriend besides an attempted phone call over a two-hour period. She contacted the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office Aug. 23. Ricke was arrested Aug. 28 after allegedly admitting to law enforcement that he contacted the victim.

Reed said the Brown County Sheriff’s Office was alerted about the suspect in Brown County by the Minnesota State Patrol and Iowa Department of Public Safety at 11:21 p.m. Wednesday. Ricke was taken into custody at 11:49 p.m.

The manhunt included the Minnesota State Patrol, State Patrol Air Unit, Sleepy Eye Police and Brown County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

“I’m very proud of our staff. There’s a heightened alertness when we get a call like this. It was stressful,” said Reed.

Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens called officer Cram a beacon of light who died because he was willing to stand in the gap between good and evil.