Philip Joens

Public Safety Retail Real Estate Ragbrai Reporter @The Des Moines Register

Des Moines, IA, US

Covered public safety for Iowa\'s largest newspaper from 2019 to 2022 and wrote about topics like wrongful arrests made by police officers, homicides and obituary stories. Here I wrote a series of stories after a six months story about sex trafficking victim Pieper Lewis, who killed her rapist, was charged with first degree murder and faced 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to the death of her rapist. Lewis was sentenced to probation because of public pressure created by our reporting. The case made national headlines when she was ordered to pay to her rapist\'s estate. As of December 2022 I cover retail and real estate issues in the Des Moines area. For three years I\'ve also covered the Register\'s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and cycling for the Des Moines Register.

University of Missouri-Columbia

Earning my Bachelor's Degree

East High School

3.31

University of Missouri-Columbia

Journalism