DAVENPORT, Iowa – A former Eldridge Police Officer, Tuesday, entered a plea of guilty to three counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree. A judge in Scott County District Court accepted the plea from 24-year-old Andrew Patrick Denoyer, and set his sentencing date for July 29th.

On September 24, 2021, at the request of the Eldridge Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation opened an investigation for alleged wrongdoings by Denoyer.  Specifically, Denoyer was suspected of having sex with a 14-year-old female. After a thorough investigation, Denoyer was arrested on September 28, 2021, and charged with three counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree. Two additional counts of the same charge were later filed against Denoyer.  A charge of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree is a Class C Felony.

(UPDATED) – The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports an accident that occurred at around 12:38-p.m. Tuesday (June 14, 2022), claimed the life of a Sheriff’s Deputy. Authorites say Deputy Austin “Melvin”Wayne Richardson, age 37, of Sidney, was traveling northbound on Highway 275 near 260th Street in a 2020 Chevy Tahoe.

A southbound John Deere S770 combine with dual front tires, being driven by James Gregory Groff, age 64, of Rock Port, MO., was traveling southbound in the same area. The combine was wider than the width of the southbound lane, according to the Iowa State Patrol.

The Tahoe driven by Deputy Richardson, collided with the front dual tire of the combine. Following the collision, the Tahoe skidded sideways and rolled several times before coming to rest on it left (Driver’s) side.

Deputy Richardson died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, canvassed the votes from the Tuesday, June 7th Primary Election. And, while some of the vote numbers changed, the end result was the same. (The following, and all other Cass County results can be found here)

Here are the vote canvassed numbers (left) and the unofficial tallies (right) on election night:

Board of Supervisors District 3 – Republican

John P. Hartkopf           231             232

Wendy Richter              254             255            (WINNER)

Write-in 3 Undervotes 15

Board of Supervisors District 2 – Republican

Mark O’Brien                227             229

Write-In 8 Undervotes 41

County Attorney – Republican

Robert J. Engler           451              452

Jay W. Mez                  428              430

Vanessa E. Strazdas     621              625           (WINNER) – Incumbent

Write-In 2 Undervotes 100

County Recorder – Republican

Mary Ward               1,372             1,379

Write-In 8 Undervotes 222

County Treasurer

Tracey J. Marshall   1,188              1,193          (WINNER) – Incumbent

Ashley McDermott 33 N/A

Write-In 43 Undervotes 337

(Radio Iowa) – This is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far, with an Extreme Heat Warning posted for eastern Iowa, and Mother Nature should offer Iowans something of a post-heat treat tonight (Tuesday). Peter Geiger, editor of the Farmer’s Almanac, says June’s Strawberry Supermoon is set to appear in the night sky this evening.

“When it’s a supermoon, it’s maybe 13% bigger than a regular full moon,” Geiger says, “but what’s kind of interesting is that the full moons were named by Native American tribes way, way back maybe 300 years ago and it related to what was going on around them.” According to the Almanac, the name was given because June marks the beginning of summer in North America when the strawberries begin to bloom.

“Strawberry season tends to be very short and it tends to be during the month of June and early July,” Geiger says, “and so the Algonquin tribe is the one that named this particular moon the Strawberry Full Moon.” This will be the first of three “supermoons” to appear over the summer months.

(Thanks to the Minnesota News Network!)

(Radio Iowa/UPDATED) –  Governor Kim Reynolds is directing 100 million dollars in federal pandemic relief to school safety measures.  “Across the country, there’s a sense of
urgency just with the acts of violence that we see taking place every single day,” Reynolds says. The state is buying software to monitor school threats online and will provide an app, website and phone number that lets people anonymously report concerns. And 50-thousand dollars will be distributed for each school building in the state, to cover security measures. Nine people are being hired for a School Safety Bureau being established in the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

“Every family should be able to confidently send their children to school knowing that they will be safe,” Reynold says, “and as the governor of Iowa and a grandmother of school-aged children, I want to assure parents that your childrens’ safety at school is just as important to me.” Reynolds had asked legislators to create an Iowa School Safety Bureau a few years ago and she’s now using federal funds to set it up. Every public school district and private school in Iowa will be offered an emergency radio for every school building, to communicate directly with law enforcement if there’s a security threat. Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens says the goal is to identify concerning behaviors early.

“Unfortunately we live in a time when we can no longer simply assume that our sheltered havens of schools will remain safe,” Bayens says. “Rather, we must be intentional about providing concrete training, tools and assistance so that every school, regardless of its size, can provide the environment needed to feed these hungry minds.” Bayens says his agency will provide active shooter training to anyone who requests it. “The governor’s School Safety Bureau will facilitate training, free of charge, to law enforcement, first responder, schools, houses of worship and civilians,” Bayans says. And 50-thousand dollars will be distributed for each school building in the state, to cover security measures.

None of the 100 million dollars in spending announced today (Tuesday) will be directed to mental health programs. The governor says school safety, though, requires addressing the mental health needs of students and state spending on the mental health system will increase by nearly three-and-a- half million dollars over the next 12 months.  “The debate on guns will continue,” Reynolds said, “but until we consider the lethal weapon in these events is the person who picks up the gun and turns it against another, we risk overlooking other solutions that directly address the cause.” Reynolds cites a recent survey which found 24 percent of Iowa 11th graders had thought about killing themselves in the past year. University of Minnesota research indicates many teenage mass shooters had contemplated suicide and ultimately redirected their self-loathing into hatred of others.