(Des Moines, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau report, 39-year-old Jose De Jesus Rodriguez Esparza was arrested Sept. 5th and charged with one count of Insurance Fraud – Presenting False Information (a Class D Felony), and Identity Theft (also a Class D Felony). The charges against Rodriguez Esparza stem from an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau.

Rodriguez Esparza was injured while working as a line cook at an Urbandale hotel.  He submitted a fraudulent workers’ compensation claim by using a social security number that was later found to belong to another individual. Rodriguez Esparza used the fraudulent social security number to obtain employment. Rodriguez Esparza is being held without bond in the Polk County Jail.

Jose De Jesus Rodriguez Esparza (Photo courtesy of the Polk County Jail)

Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years (180 months) in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking. According to public court documents, 22-year-old Brian Eugene Harvey, III, also known as “Bino,” was identified by law enforcement as a large-scale fentanyl pill distributor in the Des Moines area. In the fall of 2023, law enforcement conducted several controlled buys of fentanyl pills from Harvey. During one controlled buy, Harvey sold a gun. Law enforcement located over 4,000 fentanyl pills, three firearms, ammunition, and cash in Harvey’s vehicles during search warrants in November 2023.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Harvey will be required to serve a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department.

Authorities say fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about One Pill Can Kill.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced Wednesday to 110 months (or a little more than 9-years) in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon.

According to public court documents, 21-year-old Antonio Dontez Hoffman, Jr., burglarized a deceased woman’s house during her funeral and stole a large number of guns and ammunition. Hoffman’s phone contained messages with his co-conspirator about his desire to sell most of the guns he thought they would find at the house and those he desired to keep for himself. At the time, Hoffman was on state probation following his conviction for possession of a stolen firearm.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Hoffman will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department.

(Creston, Iowa) –  A traffic stop just before 8-p.m. Wednesday, in Creston, resulted in the arrest on a drug charge, of a Clarke County man. The Creston Police Department reports 34-year-old Bo Christopher-Robert Garland, of Osceola, was arrested at the Casey’s Store on W. Taylor St., in Creston. He was charged with Operating While Under the Influence of Drugs/1st Offense.

Garland was taken to Union County Jail and later released after posting a $1,000 bond.

(Black Hawk County, Iowa) – In an update to our previous report, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office has identified a teenager killed in a crash late Tuesday night. 17-year-old Gavin Rohrbach, of La Porte City died, when the Nissan Pathfinder SUV he was in collided with a Buick Rendezvous SUV driven by 53-year-old Pamela Euans, of Hazelton. The sheriff’s office says the SUV Rohrbach and four other teens occupied, ran a stop sign prior to the crash. The collision sent both vehicles off the road, and they came to a rest in a field near the intersection.

Hazleton, had to be extricated from her vehicle and was airlifted to University of Iowa Health Care via helicopter. The injured teens are expected to survive. All five teens attended the Union Community School District in La Porte City. The district announced Wednesday that is canceling all extra-curricular and co-curricular activities through Sunday, September 15th. That includes Friday’s football game against West Delaware. In a statement, Union Superintendent John Howard asked that people keep all families involved and the entire Union community in their thoughts.

“Words can’t readily express the devastation this news had on our school district,” Howard said. “With that being stated, we have greatly appreciated the overwhelming support offered from Central Rivers AEA staff, local businesses and organizations, as well as other school districts as we cope with this unspeakable tragedy.”

The crash remains under investigation.

(Creston, Iowa) – A possible issue with brakes on a 2003 Chevy Silverado pickup may have contributed to an accident Wednesday morning, in Creston. According to a report by the Creston Police Department, a 2016 Chevy Impala driven by 32-year-old Joe Anthony Garcia, of Creston, was traveling north on Sumner Street at around 8-a.m., and making a right-hand turn onto Prairie Street, when the car was rear-ended by the pickup, driven by a 16-year-old male from Creston.

The teen told police he had issues with the brakes, and couldn’t get stopped in-time. No injuries were reported. Police estimated the total amount of damage at $5,500. There were no citations issued.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are now available across Iowa for anyone ages six months or older. It’s reported the vaccines protect against the widely-circulating K-P-two Omicron variant. Mike Brownlee, chief pharmacy officer at the University of Iowa Health Care, recommends everyone eligible get the shot, especially those who are immuno-compromised or 65 and older, as those groups are at higher risk for getting severely ill.

Brownlee says the vaccine may not prevent you from getting the illness, but it’s going to prevent serious illness. He says people can get the COVID shot at the same time as they get their shots for the flu and R-S-V.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends waiting three months after a COVID infection to get the vaccine.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a man was arrested early today (Thursday), on felony warrants for Burglary in the 3rd Degree/2nd offense (A Class-D Felony), Attempted Burglary in the 3rd Degree/2nd offense, and Criminal Mischief in the 3rd Degree (Both are Aggravated Misdemeanors). 22-year-old Deven Anthony Hatfield, of Omaha, was taken into custody at around 1:10-a.m. in the 1200 block of E. Summit Street, in Red Oak. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $9,000 cash-only bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a man from Omaha, NE, was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly attempting to cash fraudulent checks in the area. 25-year-old Christopher D. Springston was taken into custody at around 2:45-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was charged with Theft in the 2nd Degree, a Class-D felony. Bond was set at $5,000.

(Iowa News Service) – Alternative energy advocates say Iowa is making significant progress on reaching its green power goals by 2035. The state has become a national leader in wind production. The Iowa Environmental Council took the unusual step of hosting a “Condition of the State” webinar to announce the areas where Iowa is making progress on reaching its alternative energy goals.

Steve Guyer, energy policy counsel for the commission, said solar and wind top the list. “Overall, in 2019, we actually started generating more wind in the state than we actually got from our coal plants in the state,” Guyer pointed out. “That actually is continuing, where the coal plant generation is going down and wind is going up.”

Iowa is among the nation’s leading producers of wind energy, despite pushback from some farm groups. Guyer added beyond the economic benefits of alternative energy, there are air and water quality implications too, both of which he said have improved with the increase in green power.

Guyer noted reducing emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants has a dramatic effect on crop production in Iowa. He cited a 10-year study showing the effects of closing specific coal-powered facilities.  “Some of those plants were actually Iowa-based plants,” Guyer emphasized. “They saw a marked increase in production after the closure of those plants. The theory is that the sun basically is being blocked, and so, if it had the sunlight that wasn’t being blocked, it would produce more. So yes, coal plants definitely are impacting corn production.”

Iowa is getting help from the federal Inflation Reduction Act to invest in alternative energy sources. However, the report said none of the utilities in Iowa are taking what it calls “adequate steps to achieve a carbon-free energy sector by 2035.”