(Radio Iowa) -Governor Kim Reynolds says she believes the State of Iowa could use federal pandemic relief money on additional school security measures. Reynolds says banning semi-automatic weapons like the one used to kill two teachers and 19 students in a Texas school isn’t the cure to mass shootings.  “You can’t focus on one thing and think it’s going to fix it because then the other thing that you do is you start to give some false sense of security that that’s it and we’re all going to be safe,” Reynolds says. “We all have to vigilant in our response looking for ways to keep kids safe — and people.”

Earlier this spring, Reynolds met with a company that digitizes the layout of schools, so those maps could be used by law enforcement in an active shooter situation. The state may also buy an app that lets students anonymously submit tips that a classmate may be threatening their school. “One of the things we wanted to make sure we had in place also is you need a central location, so we have somebody there that’s actually hearing, because it’s not an 8-5,” Reynolds says. “A lot of times those things happen later at night.”

Reynolds signed a law in 2018 requiring every Iowa school to have a high-quality emergency plan, conduct annual reviews and practice the response to an active shooter. The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management also conducts threat assessments. “I think they’ve done about 54 since 2015 with the different school districts,” Reynolds says. “So what we’re looking at is maybe contract that out and provide that for all school districts.” Those could be done over the summer, according to Reynolds.

IA Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a Press Conference (File Photo)

Reynolds says there’s no single answer to what happened in Texas, but the governor says she is concerned by reports the shooter was in the school for an hour before law enforcement intervened. “As we have these horrific things happen we need to do an honest assessment and we need to be forthcoming about what happened and what we do differently going forward,” Reynolds says, “and we talk about that and we implement that into the training.”

The Texas shooter shared his plans on social media right before heading to the school and Reynolds says she’s troubled by news he may have indicated at the age of 14 that he’d go into a school with a gun when he was a senior. “I cannot imagine what these families — parents, grandparents, spouses, the school staff, the community, the local law enforcement to have to walk into that scene, the country, I mean, it is horrific,” Reynolds says. “…You can do everything you can and continue to evaluate and be as prepared as you can to make sure that things like this doesn’t happen, but there is evil that exists in the world and if you’re determined to do something like this, you’re probably going to find the means to do it, but let’s be proactive.”

Reynolds says the Governor’s School Safety Bureau is submitting applications for federal grants and is coordinating state agency efforts to plan for and respond to threats in Iowa schools.

DES MOINES, IA – A man from Polk County was sentenced Friday (May 27) to 55-yearsd-in prison, following his guilty pleas to production of child pornography, receipt of child porn, and to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Authorities say 62-year-old Gary Dale Elliott, Sr., of Des Moines, has a long criminal history that includes a 1988 conviction resulting from the death of his infant son. Elliott spent approximately 27 years in prison for that offense before being paroled in 2015.

The investigation into Elliott’s latest activities began in early 2021, when a woman reported to law enforcement that she had found thumb drives containing child pornography in Elliott’s Des Moines residence. Elliott, a felon, later threatened the woman while armed with a loaded gun.

In February 2021, officers executed a search warrant at Elliott’s residence and seized computers, thumb drives, and other electronic devices. Officers searched those devices and located thousands of images and videos of child pornography. The investigation also revealed that Elliott produced child pornography in 2018 by filming three minor victims with a camera hidden in the bathroom of his residence.

The matter was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, Iowa Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Hamburg, Iowa) – A call to assist a motorist with a disabled vehicle, Thursday night in Fremont County, resulted in the arrest of four people from Kansas City, Kansas. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies responded to the area of I-29 southbound near mile-marker 5, at around 11:53-p.m., and upon arrival, located a silver Chrysler 300. They also observed indicators criminal activity.

Haskins

Misirlija

Thompson

Montgomery

The Mills County K9 Unit was called to assist and a K9 “Judge” alerted to controlled substances in the vehicle. A search was conducted, and stolen property and narcotics were located.

Those taken into custody for Theft in the 2nd Degree and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, include:

• 58-year-old Carl Haskins
• 41-year-old Jamishia Misirlija
• 57-year-old Ellen Montgomery, and
• 59-year-old Janice Thompson.

Thompson was additionally charged with Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs.

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

(Sidney, Iowa) – Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope, Friday (today), said his deputies, on Tuesday, arrested a Red Oak man following an investigation into an alleged sexual assault that took place Sunday, in Fremont County. 18-year-old Jordan Clements faces a charge of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree, after allegedly forcefully sexually assaulting a juvenile.

Clements was being held in the Fremont County Jail on a $10,000 cash only bond. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Red Oak Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

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

Jordan Clements

(Mount Ayr, Iowa) –  A Ringgold County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a man walking west on Highway 2 through the City of Mt. Ayr early this (Friday) morning, ended-up arresting the subject on a drug charge. Authorities say the Deputy stopped at around 2:15-a.m. to see if the man needed help. The subject, identified as 23-year-old Roman Wendel Vanessen, of Norwalk, mentioned he had no where to stay, and that his belongings were at his girlfriend’s apartment.

When the Deputy and Vanessen went to the apartment to gather his things, the Deputy noticed the man also picked-up drug paraphernalia. Roman Vanessen was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was booked into the Ringgold County Jail and held on $300 bond, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

Roman Vanessen

DES MOINES, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 58-year-old Troy John Pitzen, of Peru, Iowa, was sentenced May 26, 2022, to 24 months in prison following his guilty plea to making false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Pitzen’s term of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Between 2006 and 2017, Pitzen stole approximately $371,356 in Social Security survivors benefits belonging to his three minor children. Those benefits were paid to Pitzen, as the children’s representative payee, following the death of the children’s mother. During that time, Pitzen repeatedly submitted paperwork to the SSA falsely claiming the children were living with him and he was using the children’s survivors benefits to care for the children. In fact, the children were living with and being cared for by other individuals while Pitzen continued to receive the children’s benefits and converted most of those benefits to his own use.

The matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a man found guilty of brutally murdering a hunter in Appanoose County. Ethan Davis of Promise City was found guilty of first-degree murder in a random attack on hunter Curtis Ross. Ross’s body was found in a public hunting area the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2017, he had been shot and stabbed several times. Ross appealed his conviction saying a jury instruction on reasonable doubt was not adequate, and an instruction given to the jury after they appeared deadlocked pushed them to a verdict.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the instruction given to the jury was adequate. And it says the jury continued deliberating for four-and-half hours after the second instruction — which the Court says was ample time for them to discuss the evidence and thoroughly evaluate each other’s opinions.

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Dubuque is urging residents to be “bear aware” after a black bear has been seen roaming northeast Dubuque since early May. City officials say the D-N-R is working with them the Dubuque County Conservation Board, and the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department to monitor the bear’s movements. They are asking residents to take steps to help discourage the bear from staying in the area.

Those include securing garbage, removing low-hanging bird feeders, not putting pet food outside, and keeping the barbecue grill clean or in a shed. A D-N-R wildlife biologist says the bear will move on if these food sources are not available.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The lawyer for an Atlantic man facing felony charges of Arson and Attempted Murder, entered a written plea of Not Guilty for his client Wednesday, in Cass County District Court. In addition to the felony charges, 30-year-old Anthony Rey Asay is charged with Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, Willful Injury causing bodily injury, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. Asay is set to be arraigned June 6th, with a pre-trial conference on June 11th, and trial on July 12th at 9:30-a.m.

Asay is accused of being involved in a May 4th residential structure fire on Cedar Street in Atlantic, and an assault that occurred later that same day at 1207 Birch Street in Atlantic. During the apprehension, he was uncooperative and resisted Officers. Asay was charged with Possession of Marijuana./1st offense, and a separate assault charge in connection with an incident that took place April 30th .

(Radio Iowa) – A majority of over 400 clinical and administrative staffers at Planned Parenthood facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas are taking the first step to unionize. The group has notified the National Labor Relations Board they’d like to join the Service Employees International Union. Ashley Schmidt is a Planned Parenthood training and development specialist who works in Nebraska and western Iowa.  “As we move forward into what will be a challenging a difficult time, having this union will ensure that all of our voices are heard,” Schmidt says.

The group of employees work at facilities in Iowa and the four other states in Planned Parenthood’s North Central States region. They say Planned Parenthood’s front line workers are experiencing burn out. April Clark is a registered nurse who has worked at eight Planned Parenthood Clinics around Des Moines and eastern Iowa for the past decade. She says unionizing is a way to make sure Planned Parenthood executives take care of front line workers. “To make sure that our people have fair and just wages, safe and adequate staffing ratios and equal access to benefits,” Clark says.

If the organization’s executives do not recognize the union, the National Labor Relations Board will oversee an election among Planned Parenthood workers in the five states.