DAVENPORT, IA – Eight people from Burlington have now been sentenced to federal prison for their role in conspiring to distribute drugs in the Burlington area. The conspiracy started by at least December 1, 2019, and continued until November 2, 2021.

Those sentenced as part of this drug conspiracy include:
• Kendric Centrall Childs, age 35, was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release;
• Rudolph Sinclair Allen, age 37, was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Clyde Macks Stewart, Jr., age 51, was sentenced to 17 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Demetrius Antre Goudy, age 42, was sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Marcus Allen Johnson, age 46, was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Gregory Jermain Johnson, age 36, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release;
• Brian Keith Davis, age 42, was sentenced to 10 1/2 years of imprisonment and five years of supervised release; and
• Julie Jeanne Mason, age 54, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, Gregory Johnson, Marcus Johnson, and Rudolph Sinclair were the “middlemen” for the group and received large quantities of ice methamphetamine from Kendric Childs, the main drug source, along with another individual (who has not yet been apprehended). Gregory Johnson, Allen, and Marcus Johnson either sold quantities of ice methamphetamine themselves or provided it to lower-level dealers such as Goudy, Stewart, and Davis for distribution. Mason was identified as a drug courier for the group.
On January 24, 2020, Mason was stopped in Arizona while transporting approximately 362 pounds of ice methamphetamine. Mason admitted the ice methamphetamine was bound for Burlington, Iowa. At the time, this traffic stop was the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s largest single seizure of ice methamphetamine.1
U.S. Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by Southeast Iowa Narcotics Taskforce, Burlington Police Department, West Burlington Police Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office, Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration, Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Drug Taskforce, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Drug Taskforce, Muscatine County Drug Taskforce, Iowa State Patrol, and Arizona Department of Public Safety.

(Radio Iowa) – Just like Fourth of July fireworks can stress out Iowans’ pets, Halloween can also be a night of horrors for our dogs and cats. Jessie Phillips, director of development & communications at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, says to keep your animals calm on trick-or-treat night, you will likely want to find a quiet place for them to camp out. “It really is best if they are kept in another room, maybe in the interior of the house, so they’re not seeing people come to the door, ringing the doorbell,” Phillips says. “Some pets prefer to be crated, if they’re crate trained, so in their safe space or maybe in a bedroom that is their safe space. Read your pet’s cues.”

It may look adorable to dress your dog in disguise for the spooky season, but Fido may think otherwise.  “Not every pet loves to be dressed up in their Halloween costume,” Phillip says. “But regardless, any costume that you do put on your pet, they should be able to move freely, it shouldn’t restrict them. Make sure that their eyes aren’t covered and that they can see clearly. That can be really stressful for pets if their vision is blocked in any way.”

Whether your dog will be staying home or accompanying you while trick-or-treating, it’s always important that there be an I-D tag on their collar, as they might manage to dart off. “Making sure that their tags are updated, that the number on the tag is up to date,” Phillips says. “We get new cell phone numbers or move addresses, so always make sure that information is up to date. And then microchipping is a great way to make sure that if your pet does happen to get loose or get out, that your pet will be returned safely.”

Bowls and bags of Halloween candy should be kept in a cabinet and away from pets, as Phillips says chocolate and other sweets can be dangerous — and even deadly — to a pet.

(Radio Iowa) – Gobbling down mounds of Halloween candy can leave trick-or-treaters with a bad tummy ache, but too much sweet stuff can be dangerous, and even deadly, for a pet. Jessie Phillips, director of development & communications at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, says chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats, and while rarely fatal, chocolate can result in significant illness. “It really just depends on the amount ingested and the size of the animal,” Phillips says. “If your pet has ever gotten some chocolate and you’re unsure, you can always call your veterinarian or the Pet Poison Help Hotline.”

That hotline is 800-213-6680. Some Iowans already have a big bowl of treats on the counter, ready to go for trick-or-treat night, while kids may leave their sacks of candy laying around after they’ve had their fill. Both types of candy stashes should be hidden away from pets. “Keep it in a safe place, better be safe than sorry,” Phillip says. “We all know about chocolate, but aside from chocolate, there are other ingredients that can be dangerous to your pets. Artificial sweeteners, like Xylitol, can be toxic, so really just be safe. Keep them up high or out of the way and be totally sure that your pets can’t get into the candy.”

Many Iowans have carved grinning pumpkins for their porches, which — to a dog — may look and smell like a tasty treat to eat. “They might and we would probably recommend not feeding animals raw pumpkin, especially if it’s a jack-o-lantern that’s been sitting out for a while,” Phillips says. “Mostly just because bacteria can grow in that jack-o-lantern if it’s been sitting outside, probably best not to feed it to a pet, so do try to keep your pets away from from raw pumpkin.”

Also, Halloween decorations can be hazardous for pets, as curious kittens might stick their paws into a jack-o-lantern’s flame, and rambunctious puppies may chew on the “bones” that make up skeletons.

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowans will be leaving their porch lights off to keep the trick-or-treaters away this season because candy prices are, in a word, scary. Anne Villami, an economics professor at the University of Iowa, says the latest Consumer Price Index report shows candy prices are up 13-percent from last Halloween. “That’s higher than inflation,” Villamil says. “The CPI, the general price index, is high right now, that’s at 8.2%, that’s a 40-year high, so 13% for candy is clearly higher than the typical.” Labor costs are up, as are input costs, things like sugar, milk and flour, and she says “elasticity” is also playing a significant role in candy costs.

“That’s basically what a consumer is willing to pay for something,” Villamil says. “So if you think Halloween comes once a year and is really important to people who go out trick-or-treating, and you don’t want to disappoint your kids or the trick-or-treaters, then you’re going to be willing to pay that price, even when it’s up 13%.” While you might find a few discounted bags of candy corn, she says virtually all major candy manufacturers have mirrored each other in raising prices across the board. She says it will mean some households have difficult decisions to make on treats, which can be — tricky.

“This year, people are expected to spend about $100 on average on candy, costumes, decorations,” Villamil says, “and so given that it comes once a year and many people will say, ‘This is important to the kids,’ we’re just going to go ahead and pay that price.” The sticker shock in the candy aisle is a real fright for some shoppers, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports this is the largest annual price increase on record.