Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is defending her relaxation of mask wearing and other coronavirus reduction measures, even as public health officials warn against ending the measures when a new more contagious variant of the virus is spreading in the U.S. Reynolds says lower hospitalizations and other measures prompted her to lift the partial mask mandate and limits on crowd sizes. She says she trusts Iowans to do the right thing. Iowa reported 1,035 new confirmed cases on Wednesday and 29 additional deaths, increasing the state’s death toll to 5,174. Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist, says opening up now gives the U.K. variant a chance to spread quickly in the U.S.

HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) — The southwestern Iowa town of Hamburg has finally gotten federal approval to raise its flood protection levee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Wednesday announced it had approved the city’s plan to raise the levee by about 8 feet. The decision comes nearly 10 years after the Corps scrambled to help the town of about 1,200 temporarily raise the levee, which saved it from devastating floods that year. But once the floodwaters subsided, the Corps insisted that the work be undone, and the town was later inundated by historic flooding in 2019. Hamburg will provide between $7 million and $8 million to raise the levee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have announced the arrest of a man for the shooting death last April of a Des Moines woman. Police said in a news release Thursday that Antonio Markez Hodges has been charged with first-degree murder and intimidation with a dangerous weapon in the death of 33-year-old Catherine Bobbitt. Police called to an area just blocks southwest of the Drake University campus on April 3 found Bobbitt suffering from a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital, where she died. Police say that witness statements and video evidence led them to develop Hodges as a suspect in the case. He was arrested on Feb. 1 at a home in Des Moines and charged this week.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) — A 37-year-old man has been charged in a shooting in Marshalltown that left a man dead and another injured. Robert Thomas was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the March 2020 death of 22-year-old Johnqwez Deanthony Lewis. Another man, 27-year-old Devonte Allen Brooks, was injured. Thomas was charged with attempted murder in Brooks’ shooting. Police said Thomas was already being held in the Marshall County Jail on unrelated charges. He remains in custody pending an initial court appearance. Police said the investigation into the shooting is continuing.

The Council Bluffs Police Department said Thursday night, they were contacted by the Cedar Falls Police Department regarding their agency locating the two missing persons. Jennifer Reilly and daughter Luna Gallegos, were reported to be in good condition. The father of the child will be taking custody, and Jennifer Reilly will be treated at a Cedar Falls hospital for mental health reasons.

(Original Story)

Police in Council Bluffs are asking for your help in locating a missing woman and her child. A little after Noon, Thursday (Today), Officers were called to a home in the 3000 block of 2^nd Ave, in Council Bluffs, regarding a missing 2 year old. When Officers arrived, they spoke to the calling party, the child’s father, who stated that the 26-year old Jennifer Reilly, had left the residence late last night with their daughter, 2-year old Luna Gallegos, and he has not heard from them since.

Luna Gallegos

Jennifer Reilly & Luna

Family members are concerned for their safety due to recent delusional comments made by Reilly. Officers are looking to locate both mother and child to check their physical and emotional welfare.

Luna Gallagos was last seen wearing a long sleeve Elsa shirt and blue snowflake pajama pants; Jennifer Reilly is a 26 year old white female with brown hair cut into a Mohawk, no other clothing description. They left the area in a gold 2003 Honda Accord with Nebraska Plate WHS-165. Anyone with any information on their possible whereabouts please contact 911 in your area.

The Council Bluffs Police Department submitted an Amber Alert application on this incident to the State but it did not meet the requirements for an alert at this time.

Guthrie County Sheriff Sheriff J. Marty Arganbright reports his deputies responded Wednesday to  a domestic disturbance at the Firefly Creek Ranch located at 2345 Redwood Road rural Guthrie Center.

Robert James Fuller (Guthrie Co. S/O photo)

As a result of an investigation into the incident, 43-year old Robert James Fuller was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault 1st Offense.

While investigating the domestic disturbance, law enforcement observed drug activity taking place inside of Fuller’s apartment. A search warrant was executed on Fuller’s apartment and property. As a result, approximately 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine, marijuana, evidence indicating drug dealing/sale, and three firearms were recovered from the apartment.

In addition, Fuller was charged with Possession with Intent to Deliver Greater than 5 Grams of Methamphetamine (Class B Felony), Possession of a Controlled Substance – Marijuana 1st Offense, Keeping a Premises for Controlled Substance Usage, Drug Tax Stamp Violation (Class D Felony), and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Fuller was released Thursday after posting a $40,000 cash or surety bond.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in the investigation by the Panora Police Department, the Panora Fire Department, Iowa Department of Natural Resources – Law Enforcement Division, and the Guthrie County K9 Unit. Sheriff Arganbright said in a press release, “This significant seizure of methamphetamine and firearms demonstrates the commitment of the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office to keep Guthrie County safe.”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has chosen an Iowa state government official to serve as the next director of the Nebraska Department of Transportation. Ricketts has appointed John Selmer, director of the strategic performance division of the Iowa Department of Transportation. Selmer, of Story City, Iowa, has served in his current job since 2012. Selmer has served in the Iowa agency for 31 years in a variety of roles, including administrative jobs.

He spent nearly a decade as a district engineer. Ricketts says Selmer played a role in rebuilding Iowa’s roadways after the 2019 floods and knows how to overcome major challenges. He says Selmer also has extensive experience in field operations and has excelled in central office leadership as well.

Police in Council Bluffs are asking for your help in locating a missing woman and her child. A little after Noon, Thursday (Today), Officers were called to a home in the 3000 block of 2^nd Ave, in Council Bluffs, regarding a missing 2 year old. When Officers arrived, they spoke to the calling party, the child’s father, who stated that the 26-year old Jennifer Reilly, had left the residence late last night with their daughter, 2-year old Luna Gallegos, and he has not heard from them since.

Luna Gallegos

Jennifer Reilly & Luna

Family members are concerned for their safety due to recent delusional comments made by Reilly. Officers are looking to locate both mother and child to check their physical and emotional welfare.

Luna Gallagos was last seen wearing a long sleeve Elsa shirt and blue snowflake pajama pants; Jennifer Reilly is a 26 year old white female with brown hair cut into a Mohawk, no other clothing description. They left the area in a gold 2003 Honda Accord with Nebraska Plate WHS-165. Anyone with any information on their possible whereabouts please contact 911 in your area.

The Council Bluffs Police Department submitted an Amber Alert application on this incident to the State but it did not meet the requirements for an alert at this time.

Missing subject’s vehicle

(Updated 7:45-a.m. 2/12) – The Union County Sheriff’s Office, Thursday, said one person was seriously injured during a head-on crash Tuesday afternoon. Authorities say at around 1:21-p.m., 30-year old Harley Stonehocker, of Lorimor, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado southbound in the 100 block of Redwood Avenue, when he crested a hill and collided head on with a vehicle driven by 53-year old Monica Headings, of Lorimor, who was northbound in a 2016 Jeep Cherokee.

Union County deputies investigated the crash and determined that both Stonehocker and Headings were traveling in the middle of the roadway at the time of the collision and the roadway was 100% snow covered. Headings stated she was looking at some cows in a fenced area when the vehicles collided. Airbags deployed in both vehicles. Stonehocker refused medical treatment. His vehicle was a total loss with a damage estimate of $12,000. Headings suffered incapacitating injuries. She was extricated from her vehicle and flown by helicopter to Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, for treatment of serious injuries. Her vehicle was a total loss with damage estimated at $15,000.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Iowa State Patrol. The Afton Fire Department and first responders performed the patient extrication and assisted GRMC paramedics.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, Thursday, said there were four recent arrests. Early this morning (Thursday), 46-year old William Roger Hardy, Jr., of Oakland, was arrested at a residence in the 300 block of Hill Street in Oakland, for Domestic Abuse Assault-1st offense/causing injury. On Wednesday, 30-year old Colby Jacob Schueman was arrested at Highway 6 and Hackberry Road. He was charged with OWI/3rd or subsequent offense.

Authorities say 77-year old Gary Wayne Wendelin was arrested Wednesday night for OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into a property damage accident at 310 N. Elm Street, in Avoca. Wednesday afternoon, 37-year old Sean Patrick Gifford was served with a warrant at the Pott. County Jail. The warrant was for Violation of Probation.

And, Tuesday afternoon, an investigation into a call about a parking problem in Crescent, resulted in the arrest of 43-year old Timothy James Doggett. He was taken into custody on a warrant out of Colorado, for being a Fugitive from Justice.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police have announced the arrest of a man for the shooting death last April of a Des Moines woman. Police said in a news release Thursday that Antonio Markez Hodges has been charged with first-degree murder and intimidation with a dangerous weapon in the death of 33-year-old Catherine Bobbitt. Police called to an area just blocks southwest of the Drake University campus on April 3 found Bobbitt suffering from a gunshot wound.

She was taken to a hospital, where she died. Police say that witness statements and video evidence led them to develop Hodges as a suspect in the case. He was arrested on Feb. 1 at a home in Des Moines and charged this week.

(Radio Iowa) The Iowa House has unanimously passed a bill to prohibit defendants charged with a violent crime from claiming temporary insanity because they discovered the victim was gay or transgender. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says defendants in several other states have used this so-called “gay panic” argument and their sentences were substantially reduced.

Before the bill passed the House, Representative Liz Bennett of Cedar Rapids asked for a moment of silence for Kedarie Johnson, a gender-fluid teenager who was murdered in Burlington in 2016.

In 2017, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a federal lawyer with experience on hate crimes cases to Iowa to serve as the local prosecutor and both men were convicted of Johnson’s murder. The bill that has cleared the Iowa House would prevent a “gay panic” defense from being used in state court when someone is charged with a felony or rioting.

(Update 10-a.m.) The Iowa Department of Public Health, Thursday, reported 841 new cases of the COVID-19 virus since 10-a.m. Wednesday, for a pandemic total of 327,255 positive cases. There were 22 additional deaths reported, for a total of 5,196. Statewide, 4,690 COVID deaths are attributed to Underlying causes. COVID was a contributing factor to 506 deaths. Deaths at Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities account for 2,124 deaths. There were two more deaths in the KJAN listening area: One more in both Guthrie and Harrison Counties (see more data below).

Long-Term Care facility outbreaks went from 39 Wednesday to 38 today (Thursday). LTC patients testing positive amount to 1,046, with 678 having recovered from the virus. The State data show 273 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, which is down from 292 in the previous report. Officials say 64 patients are in an ICU, 32 were admitted over the previous 24-hours, and 26 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa), 13 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, seven people are in an ICU, one person was admitted over the past 24-hours, and one person was on a ventilator.

Iowa’s statewide positivity rate is up a bit. The 14-day positivity rate is 8.4% compared to 8.6% on Wednesday. The 7-day average was down slightly to 6.2%.   A total of 299,122 Iowans have recovered from the virus.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,223 cases; {+2}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 755; {+31}; 25
• Adams, 313; {+0}; 3
• Audubon, 449 {+0}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,067 {+0}; 28
• Harrison County, 1,640; {+3}; 68
• Madison County, 1,352; {+1}; 16
• Mills County, 1,446; {+8}; 20
• Montgomery, 949; {+4}; 35
• Pottawattamie County, 9,538; {+30}; 138
• Shelby County, 1,116; {+3}; 32
• Union County,  1,165; {+6}; 31