Crime & Safety
Lafayette Man Dumps Glass Of Water On Iowa Rep. Steve King
A GoFundMe page sprouted up shortly after, asking for donations to help "free" the reported assailant.

LAFAYETTE, CO -- A local man was arrested in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Friday, after throwing a glass of water on Iowa's U.S. House of Representatives member, Steve King, according to local authorities. Fort Dodge police said a second man eating lunch with King at the Mineral City Mill and Grill was struck with the water as well, but neither victim was injured.
The report states that at about 12:30 p.m., Lafayette's Blake Gibbins, 26, approached the table where King was eating and inquired about his identity before throwing a glass of water on him. According to witness information, the crime appeared to be politically motivated, authorities say.
Gibbins was arrested without incident and charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault and one count of disorderly conduct.
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Shortly after the incident, a "Free Blake" page sprung up on GoFundMe, asking for donations to help pay for Gibbins' legal costs and any possible fines related to the incident. As of Monday morning, it had raised nearly $5,000. According to the post, both Gibbins and the page's creator, Carly Johansen, had grown up in Jefferson, Iowa.
"I’m part of King’s constituency, so Blake’s actions really resonated with me," wrote Johansen in the page description.
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For his part, King retweeted a post from conservative blogger Michelle Malkin on Saturday criticizing GoFundMe for allowing the fundraiser to continue.
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