Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Consultants hired by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to analyze the saturation level of gambling in Iowa say new casinos proposed for Cedar Rapids and Jefferson would get most of their money by drawing revenue from already existing casinos. The Des Moines Register reports that Union Gaming Analytics and Marquette Advisors were hired to conduct independent evaluations of gambling in Iowa, which has 18 state-regulated casinos.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a former Dallas Center man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on child pornography charges, a sentence enhanced because a judge said the man lied in court. Thirty-six-year-old Benjaman Shelabarger must also serve five years of supervised release once he’s out of prison.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A West Des Moines nonprofit insurance provider set up to sell insurance under nation’s new health care overhaul plan says it has surpassed 50,000 individual and group members, a milestone that wasn’t expected for at least two years. CoOportunity Health sells health care insurance in Iowa and Nebraska. It is one of 23 Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans set up nationwide. The cooperatives were designed to assure competition in insurance plans and provide consumers choices.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Rockwell City police officer will undergo a psychiatric competency evaluation to determine whether he is fit to stand trial. The Fort Dodge Messenger reports a judge has ordered the proceedings in the trial of Corey Trott to be suspended until it is determined whether he can stand trial.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — FBI Director James Comey says he’s authorized new hiring and is ready to order resumption of training new agents following last month’s passage of a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill. The spending measure also scaled back automatic spending cuts that had led the FBI to eliminate more than 2,000 positions, institute a hiring freeze and suspended training of new agents at its academy at Quantico, Va.

Comey said Tuesday at a visit to the FBI’s Omaha field office that he has already signed off on opening 700 positions within the agency’s field offices across the country. The Omaha field office covers Nebraska and Iowa. Comey, who took over the FBI in September, plans to visit all of the agency’s 56 field offices in the coming weeks.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bills increasing the penalties for child kidnapping have been easily approved in the Iowa Senate and House. Lawmakers backed the bills Tuesday. Both were drafted in response to the kidnapping and killing of teenager Kathlynn Shepard last year.

The Senate legislation would increase criminal penalties in cases involving children 17 and younger and cases in which the person convicted had previously been convicted of kidnapping. The House bill increases penalties in cases involving children 15 and under and would prevent those convicted of certain crimes from reducing sentences through good behavior.

Fifteen-year-old Kathlynn is believed to have been killed by a registered sex offender who had been released from prison after serving a reduced sentence. He killed himself after the incident.

An investigation into the break-in of a grocery store in Guthrie Center has resulted in an arrest, after the suspect was injured and found at a hospital. Officials with the Guthrie Center Police Department report 18-year old David Paul Dawson, of Guthrie Center, was arrested at the Guthrie County Hospital today (Tuesday), at around 5:15-a.m.  Dawson was being seen at the hospital for a laceration to his wrist and was receiving sutures. He’s been charged with Burglary 3rd Degree and Criminal Mischief 2nd degree, both “D” Felonies and one count of Trespassing, a simple misdemeanor. Officials say Dawson was being held on $5000 bond in the Guthrie County Jail, pending his appearance in front of the Magistrate.

Dawson was arrested after police investigated a report that there was a broken front window at Hometown Foods. The investigation revealed that someone had broken into the store through one of the 4-foot by 8-foot double pane glass windows. An undetermined amount of cigarettes and bottled liquor were taken from the store. Don Reinhart (Store Owner) and Eric Grove (Store Employee) were called to assist the Police Department with their video surveillance system. From that video surveillance, the Police Department was able to identify a suspect.

The Guthrie Center Police Department received assistance from the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office and also from Panora Police Department.

(12-p.m. News)

Sheriff’s officials in Cass County report three OWI-related arrests over the past few days. On Monday, 30-year old Trent Matthew Suhr, of Walnut, was arrested on charges of OWI 4th Offense, Driving While Barred, two counts of Driving While Revoked, and one count of Driving Under Suspension. Suhr was taken to the Cass County Jail where he is being held on $5000 bond.

Last Saturday,31-year old Jonathan David Hart, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of OWI 1st Offense. Hart was taken to the Cass County Jail where he was released later that day on his own recognizance.

And on Friday, 39-year old  Kerri Kay Towne, of Atlantic, was arrested on a charge of OWI 2nd Offense. Towne was taken to the Cass County Jail where she was released the following day on her own recognizance.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports an investigation into a burglary at Viking View Oil in Stanton late last year has resulted in the arrest of three persons from Kansas. 24-year-old Nicholas Hall, 20-year-old Caleb Koerner, and 29-year-old April Dingler, all of Kansas were taken into custody with the assistance of investigators with the Emporia, KS Police Dept., and the Sedgwick County, KS, Sheriff’s Office Warrant Task Force. 

Hall and Koerner were being held on $20,000 cash bond in connection with the burglary charges. Dingler was being held on $5,000 cash bond for lottery fraud. 16-year-old Torri Bittner, of Milo, is awaiting Juvenile Court for Accessory After the Fact. The trio are accused of breaking into Viking View Oil and stealing cash, surveillance equipment, and numerous lottery tickets, during a December burglary, during which the building was damaged.