The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Tuesday a southwest Iowa man was sentenced March 25th to spend more than 17-years in prison for sex crimes involving minors. U-S District Judge John Jarvey also ordered 46-year old Tony Lee Stogdill, of Imogene, to serve 10-years of supervised release following his 210 month prison term. Stogdill, who was convicted on a charge of Interstate Transportation of a person under the age of 18 for the purpose of engaging in criminal sexual activity, must also register on the Sex Offender Registry, pay restitution (in an amount yet to be determined) and pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim Fund. Stogdill remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending his designation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

Stogdill’s wife, Jennifer, in an agreement with the United States Attorney’s Office, pled guilty in the Iowa District Court for Fremont County to compounding a felony regarding her “cover-up” of Tony Stogdill’s sexual abuse of a minor child in late 2009. Jennifer Stogdill was sentenced by the state court to a term of probation.

Tony Stogdill had been convicted of sex related crimes twice, prior to the instant offense. Stogdill was convicted on March 13, 1989, in Fremont County, Iowa, of false imprisonment and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. Stogdill was also convicted in Fremont County, Iowa, on October 21, 1991, of third degree sexual abuse.

The criminal investigation was carried out by the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Fremont County Attorney’s Office, the South West Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Police Department, the Omaha, Nebraska, Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate is considering legislation intended to halt the last transfer of state tax credits to a fertilizer plant in southeastern Iowa. The bill is meant to prevent Orascom, an Egyptian multinational corporation, from requesting a final $25 million tax credit installment. In 2012, Gov. Terry Branstad promised the company $100 million in investment tax credits, in addition to other federal, state and local incentives, in exchange for the creation of 165 permanent jobs in Iowa.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified the body of a man found after a fire damaged a four-unit apartment in the northern Iowa community of Charles City. The Charles City Police Department says the body of 27-year-old Joshua Nelson was found inside one of the apartment units following a fire reported Monday afternoon. He lived in the building.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Lawmakers in the Iowa Senate have taken a new route to address distracted driving across the state. The Senate approved an appropriation bill for Iowa’s Department of Transportation that would include $200,000 to go toward an educational campaign about the risks associated with distracted driving. The bill now goes to the House.

GARNER, Iowa (AP) – An elementary school employee in northern Iowa faces formal charges in connection to alleged fraudulent Medicaid payments. Court records show 30-year-old Brooke Banse will be arraigned April 8 on two charges of first-degree fraudulent practice and tampering with records. Banse is accused of receiving federal Medicaid payments in excess of $10,000 for services she did not provide.

Officials with Diamond Vogel Paint and “Keep Iowa Beautiful,” have announced the grant awards for the 2014 “Paint Iowa Beautiful” program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa. The program is administered through Keep Iowa Beautiful with the paint provided by the Diamond Vogel Paint Company.

Award winners include: The Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, for its Main Street buildings; The Glen Miller Birthplace Society in Clarinda, for painting of Miller’s home; The Farragut Hometown Pride Committee, for the painting of two homes, softball bleachers and Freedom Corner; The Sidney/Fremont County Fair Board, for painting of Fair Grounds buildings, rodeo arena and bleachers; The Hamburg Hometown Pride Committee, for downtown and City Park projects; Missouri Valley Health & Promotion Strategies, for three store-front facades; The City of Orient’s Public Works Dept., for work on the Legion Hall, meal site and information booth, and, the City of Shelby, for “Paint Shelby Beautiful,” the Senior Center garage/storage and City Hall.

Governor Branstad has signed a proclamation designating April as Keep Iowa Beautiful month. Diamond Vogel Vice-President Doug Vogel said the company is pleased to do its part by awarding paint to 63 community projects in Iowa. Gerald Schnepf, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful said “The Paint Iowa Beautiful program helps us increase our assistance to neighborhoods, communities, historic projects and other public service organizations in improving the attractiveness and beauty of our home areas. These projects definitely improve the beauty of Iowa, its countryside and its communities.”

Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful. Program efforts include litter reduction, public nuisance abatement and beautification programs.