Darby Sparks
Investigative Reporter, Weekend Anchor
Davenport, Iowa
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Darby Sparks is an investigative reporter who comes to the Quad Cities from Altoona, Pennsylvania where she worked at the CBS affiliate WTAJ.
Darby’s specialty is in long form reporting with a focus in crime, education and public safety. During her two and a half years of experience prior to coming to KWQC, she worked on a missing persons series called “Have You Seen Me.”
Darby’s main goal is to dig beyond the surface, to find the “why.” Her favorite kind of stories are character driven and full of detail. She is always looking for a new lead so don’t hesitate to email her at darby.sparks@kwqc.com.
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In an email to TV6, District Spokeswoman Holly Sparkman said the principal sent out a robo-call to the sixth grade families the evening of the alleged incidents. Sparkman said the principal also interviewed many students over the course of the afternoon and “worked on setting up supports to ensure that the students felt physically and emotionally safe.”
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The international association of police says around 70% of all crimes committed utilize vehicles, so the device has been an effective tool to assist in catching criminals. However, it's raised questions nationally over whether it violates the privacy rights of citizens, and the American Civil Liberties Union says it does.
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Jurors were dismissed at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday and will continue their deliberation Friday in Scott County District Court.
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An eyewitness that the prosecution called to testify told the defense on the stand that she may have seen the Boat Verbeke and Dr. Pinc were on cause the crash instead, contrary to her previous statements.
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The trial began Wednesday morning for James Thiel, the 45-year-old Pleasant Valley man facing two counts of involuntary manslaughter for the August 2020 deaths of Craig Verbeke, Anita Pinc and their dog Lily.
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Déjà vu has had 639 911 calls since it opened in February 2020, but the business says the majority of those calls are directed at a group of people gathering in their parking lot that have nothing to do with their business.
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“He was goofy, he was always someone that was trying to make people smile,” said Doran’s younger brother, Robbie Doran, who says the family has been left in shock and disbelief, “it’s heartbreaking, it really is.”
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In order to combat TikTok challenges, local administrators encourage parents to teach their children about using the platform.
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Judge Richard Grambell has sentenced 27-year-old Maquesha Ramey to 65 years in prison for the 2021 murder of 26-year-old Rachel Likes.
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FBI statistics show that bank robberies have decreased immensely since the 1970′s due to higher-tech security, increasing the likelihood of the robber getting caught. However, as antiquated and risky as bank robberies are, they still happen, with the Quad Cities typically seeing five robberies in a year for the last five years.
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Dinkins filed a second request on February 25 stating that if he does not get a new attorney then he will represent himself. In the letter, Dinkins claimed his attorneys were “not willing to put in the work” on his case.
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The board is expected to make a final decision by Friday, March 11th.
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Tony Tapia, a parent, said he was dropping his kids off then they saw Rhone collapse at the scene.
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According to the National Farmer’s Union and several other state and national organizations, John Deere has made it difficult and costly for farmers to repair their equipment.
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The Princeton Fire Department told TV6 that two things which would have made the fire’s outcome less severe are a fire escape and a smoke detector in the front entrance.
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Bridgeway, Inc., a 501C-3 nonprofit whose motto is to “create solutions for everyone,” will soon have someone involved with the department’s dispatch.
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All the dogs were suffering from health problems, the worst condition being the flea infestation that McGinnis said took away patches of their hair that “may never grow back.”
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The decision on whether the chain link fence is considered to be legally a nuisance all comes down to what the court will deem the slab of concrete it obstructs.
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A second amendment sanctuary means that the local government will not participate or provide resources to the enforcement of gun control laws mandated by the federal government.
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Both women were fired from their positions following an investigation into the incident.
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Topping the list as the most accident prone intersection in the Quad Cities is John Deere Road and 41st Street in Moline. From 2018 to 2020, the intersection had 38 crashes.
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The video, which TV6 will not air or post, shows two white teenagers. One of whom is dressed in a blackface mask, while the other pretends to beat him. The video goes along to background music that repeats racial slurs.
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The After School Satan Club is intended to act as an alternative offer to religious after school programs, especially to kids who may not be able to go home straight after school.
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“You could be being tracked and you wouldn’t even know,” said Carlee Kibler, a victim in Clinton of AirTag stalking, “it’s scary.”
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The rates showed that while homicide rates are down for 2021, they are still double what they were in 2018 and 2019.
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Out of all the cities, Bettendorf has had by far the lowest rate of incidents, totaling 14 since 2018.
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As first of a three part series, the TV6 Investigates team sent in Freedom of Information Acts to Davenport, Bettendorf, Moline and Rock Island for their stolen vehicle rates from 2019-2021.
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For 10 years the Buffalo Volunteer Fire Department has decorated one of their trucks with Christmas decorations that light up the night sky as it drives through neighborhoods, sirens blaring.
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After its deal to carry networks like ABC expired on Friday, complaints about YouTube TV were trending on Twitter.
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While there are many contributing factors to the spike in traffic fatalities, police say one reason is the cell phone.
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From Michigan to Delaware, Oregon to Washington and now even in our own backyard schools around the USA have been receiving a surge in threats from students claiming that they are going to commit violence in class.
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TV6′s Darby Sparks sat down with Bryce Schmidt, the Chief Deputy of the Scott County Sheriff’s office, and former officer in charge of the Scott County Sex Offender’s Task Force, to ask if the registry’s guidelines keep a sex offender from re-offending.
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Sterling firefighter Lieutenant Garrett Ramos marks 14 in death toll of local firefighters since 1990.
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Tammy Noble, the Education and Marketing Manager with the Iowa Poison Control Center said that typically Carbon Monoxide exposure in a vehicle occurs when the car is inside of a garage or some other enclosed space.
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“It’s a very special day. It’s a time when people come through the door and they can actually see a smile, talk to somebody and know we care,” said Beverly Thumann, the owner of Just Because in the Village of East Davenport.
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Adam McCloskey, who is currently staying at the AmericInn, was told his entire apartment has been lost and he will have to move elsewhere.
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The 100th person to receive their booster shot walked through the health department’s doors at 11:00 in the morning.
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Along with providing shelter, the organization says they will be providing Thanksgiving meals to residents of the building.
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181 of Scott County's registered sex offenders have violated their registry requirements. 92 of them have violated the registry more than once.
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Burlington requested the situation to be declared an emergency in order to get immediate funding to fix it, but officials say the declaration has to be approved by an engineer.
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The time limit to stay in the county jail in 364 days, yet the man--whose identity TV6 is not going to mention--ended up staying 1,707 days more than that.
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Speakers at the conference said the new center would increase what they say are already blatant racial disparities in the system.
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The 19-year-old pleaded guilty in January 2020 to second-degree murder.
Anna Schroeder, now 19, of Morrison, appears for a court hearing in January 2020 in Whiteside County Court.
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19-year-old Anna Schroeder pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January 2020. Her sentencing will be taking place on Wednesday and Friday, starting at 10 a.m.
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As of the time this article was written, workers are back out at the Milan location on strike and wearing safety gear. One member passing through stated that they are no longer crossing the street on foot.
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Crime Stoppers of the Quad Cities is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who has information that will solve the case. As part of an effort to encourage tips, TV6 Investigates rode along with Moline police to revisit the crime scene.
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TV6 has confirmed with the Moline Police Department that for the first time they will be releasing the names of persons of interest during a press conference Wednesday.
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The victim's brother says that he thinks this was a random incident, stating he was “at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki both weigh in on the strike happening at John Deere