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Iowan gets 10 years for sympathy gunshot plots

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August 21st, 2012 by Ric Hanson

ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – A 33-year-old western Iowa man has been given 10 years in prison for twice arranging to have someone shoot him in attempts to gain sympathy from his ex-wife.  Darren Hieber, of Mapleton, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy and two counts of solicitation for the shootings. Prosecutors dropped other charges in exchange for the pleas. Hieber was accused of persuading Brady Chapman, an employee at Hieber’s trucking business, to shoot him in a leg on Feb. 5. Hieber told police he’d been shot by a burglar.   Hieber also was  accused of hiring Joseph Roberts and Timothy Culley, both of Omaha, Neb., to shoot at him on March 8 in Mapleton. No one was injured in that incident.  Roberts, Culley and Chapman have been given probation.