CEDAR RAPIDS — Two more people linked to a missing Walker man found buried in southeast Cedar Rapids have been charged with burglary and assault, though no one has yet been charged with his death.

Darian Gossett, 22, of Cedar Rapids, and Morgan Jordan, 26, of Marion, are the latest people arrested who are connected to Christopher Bagley, the 31-year-old found dead March 1 after disappearing in early December.

Two men connected to Bagley — Paul Hoff and Logan Gerber — face federal gun and drug charges.

Two men connected to Chris Bagley now face federal guns, drug charges CEDAR RAPIDS - Two men with connections to a missing Walker man found buried in southeast Cedar Rapids have been charged in federal court for drugs and firearms but not for his death. Continue Reading

Gossett and Jordan are charged with breaking into a Marion apartment. They told police they thought their “missing friend Chris Bagley” lived there, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained Tuesday by The Gazette.

Bagley did not live in the apartment, but another man, who is in jail on drug charges, did.

Gossett was charged last month with third-degree burglary and assault, and Jordan was charged with third-degree burglary, according to criminal complaints.

A search warrant shows Jay and Sally Podzimek went to check on their son’s Marion apartment Feb. 27 because he was in jail. They found Gossett and Jordan inside.

When the Podzimeks entered the apartment, they found Gossett and Jordan taking property, according to the complaints. Jay Podzimek told them he was going to call the police, and Gossett pushed him to the ground and then ran out of the apartment with Jordan, the complaints said.

A short time later, Marion police found Gossett and Jordan in a pickup in the 300 block of Hillview Drive, according the warrant. They both said they thought the apartment belonged to Bagley and they were going to “clean it up because he’s been missing for a while.”

According to court records, Drew Blahnik lived in the apartment. Blahnik, who was arrested Feb. 26 — the day before the burglary — is charged with possession with intent to deliver marijuana. There is also a federal hold on him, meaning he could face charges in federal court, though no charged have been filed.

Blahnik is accused of having a box containing 100 “heavy-hitter marijuana cartridges, which were packaged individually to weigh 1 gram for delivery,” according to a criminal complaint. Blahnik told police the cartridges were worth $2,000 and each cartridge sold for $20.

Officers also recovered from his apartment a handgun, various ammunition and several knives, according to the complaint.

Court records don’t show a connection between Blahnik and Bagley.

Authorities said Bagley was a marijuana and methamphetamine user known for selling marijuana and carrying a gun, according to a previous search warrant obtained by The Gazette last week.

That warrant, filed in January, shows authorities were already convinced Bagley was dead and possibly murdered.

Bagley’s body was found March 1 buried in a yard on Soutter Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids, but authorities haven’t said how that residence is connected to Bagley or his death. An autopsy determined he was stabbed to death.

The January warrant was filed to search a mobile home, where Bagley was last seen alive on Dec. 14.

Paul Hoff, 40, of Cedar Rapids, and Logan Gerber, 29, of Marion, both named in the warrant as the last ones to see or speak with Bagley, were charged in federal court for drugs and firearms but not Bagley’s death.

A woman who was with Bagley on Dec. 13 when he left his Walker home told authorities they went to Hoff’s mobile home. Bagley and Hoff discussed possibly robbing someone but never said who, she told authorities.

Bagley and another man had been involved in robbing people in the past, she told investigators. One of the people robbed may have been Bagley’s marijuana dealer, and she believed the dealer paid someone to harm Bagley.

The woman said she left the mobile home around 4:45 a.m. on Dec. 14, and Bagley stayed.

Hoff, during a Dec. 22 interview, told investigators Bagley and the woman were in his mobile home Dec. 14 and were talking about robbing a drug house but he didn’t know when or where, the warrant shows.

Hoff said he last saw Bagley between 7 and 7:30 a.m. He didn’t know who Bagley left with or what vehicle he got into when leaving, according to the warrant.

Gerber, during an interview with investigators, said Bagley called him about 3:32 a.m. Dec. 14 saying he was on his way to Hoff’s and told him to be ready because he was going to need his help for the “grande finale.” Gerber said he didn’t know what that meant but he thought Bagley was planning to rob someone.

During the investigation, authorities learned of threats allegedly made against Bagley, stating, “it is believed Bagley is deceased and possibly murdered,” according to the warrant.

Additionally, another acquaintance made threats about cutting out Bagley’s tongue to keep him quiet, authorities said. That person thought Bagley faced possible federal charges related to illegal weapons and drugs.

No charges had been filed at the time of Bagley’s death.

l Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com