Defense attorneys threw an interesting twist into what was supposed to be a routine pretrial hearing Tuesday for Andrew Orellana, a Sioux City man accused of shooting and killing a rival gang member back in 1997.

Prior to the hearing, Orellana’s attorneys filed a motion asking prosecutors to produce a variety of evidence.

Tops on the list was details of a phone call someone made to Sioux City police, reporting that a gun used in the murder was in a police officer’s mailbox.

Say what?

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This weekend, Sioux City police investigating a hit-and-run traffic accident discovered they had more than just a bad driver on their hands.

They had Andrew Carlos Orellana, a man accused first-degree murder for allegedly gunning down a South Sioux City teen in a gang-related shooting in 1997.

After 12 years evading police, it was truly a minor accident that got Orellana caught.

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There are plenty of ways to make friends, but the crime beat probably isn’t one of them.

Usually, the only time we go places is because:

1 – Something bad has just happened (accident, crime)

2 – Someone is accused of doing something bad (crime, court hearing, et cetera).

And, as you can see by watching this video from the scene of a gang-related fight on Wednesday, some people really don’t want us around.

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case it might be worth five years.

According to court documents, the case against a Sioux City man started in August, when police were called in Summit Street to a report of a gun found in an attic bedroom.

The 15-year-old boy who had been living in the bedroom said the .32 caliber handgun did not belong to him.

He later admitted to keeping it for someone, but wouldn’t say who. The internet eventually did the talking for him.

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Adults at a Southern Hills Mall children’s eatery were treated to a little excitement Saturday night.

Let’s call it “CSI: Chuck E. Cheese.”

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About 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the on-duty members of the Sioux City press corps were all in the same boat. We were crowded underneath the boom of one of the Sioux City Fire Department’s ladder trucks, trying to duck out of the wind and rain.

It was cold. And some of us had already been there almost an hour. 

Just as I was about to head out the door — and about 3/4 through the 10 p.m. newscasts — police officers and firefighters were dispatched to a house fire on 14th Street.

Initial reports were children might be trapped in an apartment (which could explain the media turnout), but those proved to be false.

Still, you could tell this wasn’t the average house fire: the place was crawling with police officers.

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It’s a curious situation, to be sure: A man swings a “Chinese sword” at a woman walking around the near north side in the middle of the night early Friday, stabbing her in the neck. The woman doesn’t seek medical attention until that afternoon.

It makes (a little) sense why she would have waited when Sioux City police describe the crime as being “gang-related,” or directed toward a particular person. The woman — 23-year-old Jamie Speelman — probably didn’t want to get into trouble.

She is still at Mercy Medical Center in fair condition as I write this. Hopefully the police will find the suspect they are looking for in this matter, as I, for one, am really curious to find out what weapon he used and what his rationale was for stabbing her.

What’s up with people using swords, anyway? Late last month in Wisconsin, a dude busted into his neighbor’s house with a big ol’ sword because he thought a porn tape was a woman screaming for help.