(Radio Iowa) – The owner of a dog has been charged with two simple misdemeanors for violating dangerous animal ordinances after a child was attacked by the dog in southeast Iowa Wednesday. The Ottumwa Police Department says it received a call of a nine-year-old girl who was attacked by a dog that was later determined to be a pit bull. The girl was transported to the hospital with injuries to her face, head, arm, shoulder, and hand. Her current condition is unknown.

The pit bull was euthanized and its remains will be tested to determine if it had rabies since it was not vaccinated. Police say 48-year-old Bradford Henry admitted to being the owner of the animal, telling law enforcement that he had the dog since it was a puppy.

Henry was released from the Wapello County Jail after posting bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The retirement system for more than 47-hundred current or retired Iowa sheriffs and deputies is being enhanced. A bill signed into law this week increases the maximum benefit payment that’s allowed for sheriffs and deputies who retire after at least 23 years of service. Sheriffs or deputies who retire after 30 years on the job in Iowa would be able to receive 80 percent of their annual salary as a pension.

Senator Charlie McClintock, of Alburnett, has been a police officer in Cedar Rapids since 1994 and is currently the department’s 9-1-1 manager. “I started out as a deputy sheriff and I can tell you this is a big deal to them and everything that they do,” McClintock says. “…They’re not only doing patrol and investigations and traffic, they do our jails, our transports and our overall law enforcement.”

Representative Monica Kurth of Davenport says a beefed up pension may spur some to stay on the job. “We are losing well trained employees in law enforcement because wages and benefits are better in other places,” Kurth says. The legislation also provides a state income tax credit of up to two-thousand dollars to officers who move to Iowa to take a job in law enforcement. It would be for moving expenses. A third section of the law sets new bail restrictions for people accused of murdering or assaulting a peace officer or a prison employee.

One lawmaker called the bill the 2024 legislature’s “back the blue” package. It passed the House and Senate unanimously.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The last call for Rod Cook, a member of the Lewis Fire Department was sent out today (Friday) by a dispatcher with the Cass County Communications Center.

Rodney “Rod” Cook died Monday, April 29, 2024, at his home in rural Atlantic. He was 73 years old.

Rodney Cook (photo from Roland Funeral Home. com)

He was a lifetime member and past Commander of the VFW Post #3415, and was a member of the Lewis Fire Department since 1976. In honor of his dedication to service, the Lewis Fire Department escorted Cook to his final resting place in the Atlantic Cemetery, where his burial is with military honors.

(Radio Iowa) – The State Department of Education is updating some of its previously reported high school graduation rates. The Education Department announced the data used to calculate the graduation rates for the last ten years left out students who had transferred to another school and then dropped out. Most recently, the correction increased the 2023 graduation rate by a tenth of a point to 87-point-five percent.

The rates for 2021 and 2022 fell by more than two percentage points to 87-point-eight percent for 2021 and 87-point-four percent for 2022. The Department says in a statement that Iowa’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 is consistent with the national standard and it’s above the 2023 rates reported by Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

(Council Bluffs, IA) – Officials with the Community Foundation for Western Iowa, today (Friday) announced that the Iowa West Foundation has generously committed a 1-to-1 match of $50,000 for donations made to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund. The fund at the Community Foundation for Western Iowa is a philanthropic response to the increasing needs throughout Pottawattamie County due to the catastrophic tornadoes that tore through the region on April 26. Iowa West matching funds will provide relief to individuals impacted in Pottawattamie County.

In Pottawattamie County, officials estimate approximately 300 residential homes and businesses were either partially damaged or fully destroyed. In Minden specifically, officials currently assess 48 homes as destroyed, displacing resident occupancy. The outpouring of support in response to the devastation that occurred in our communities is incredible, and the Community Foundation is proud to be a funding source to help provide assistance for our friends, family and neighbors who have been affected.

Community Foundation for Western Iowa President and CEO Donna Dostal says “Our community is focused on helping assist recovery, and at the Community Foundation, our work right in this moment is dedicated to helping families and communities now and into the future. We are truly grateful to the Iowa West Foundation for this significant investment to the recovery of several communities, and value our continued partnership.”

Donations to the Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund will be distributed to nonprofit organizations, city and county governmental organizations, and church groups working with the communities affected by the heartbreaking loss and destruction. To donate to the Relief Fund, visit:
https://bit.ly/southwest-iowa-relief-fund or www.givewesterniowa.org.

Brenda Mainwaring, President and CEO of the Iowa West Foundation, says “All of us are asking how we can help our neighbors begin to rebuild their lives. The Foundation’s goal in partnering with the Community Foundation is to encourage everyone to give just a little more, knowing that their contribution will be doubled. We are committed to helping our communities through these immediate efforts, and in their long-term recovery as well.”

The Southwest Iowa Emergency Relief Fund will provide funding to organizations and services in Pottawattamie County that are filling basic human needs, rebuilding communities, and providing direct support to individuals and families. Organizations and groups that are on the frontline of relief efforts are encouraged to apply through the Community Foundation for Western Iowa’s website at: www.givewesterniowa.org.

Additionally, SHARE Iowa – an initiative of the Community Foundation – is a resource to access information on how you can assist our communities through relief efforts, such as volunteer opportunities and in-kind donations. The SHARE Iowa team continues to work directly with Pottawattamie County Emergency Management and Pottawattamie County officials on approved volunteer opportunities and donation needs.

The Relief Resource website will be updated regularly and can be accessed by visiting: www.sharegoodiowa.org/emergencyrelief

For those directly impacted by the April 26 tornadoes, it is vital that property owners report storm-related damage on the Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency website, pcema-ia.org, as local and state officials explore opportunities for federal funding.

DES MOINES, Iowa – On Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10-a.m., Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens, State of Iowa leadership, law enforcement partners and families will pay tribute to fallen peace officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving. Iowa DPS remains dedicated to remembering the brave men and women of law enforcement who died in the line of duty protecting Iowans and their communities. This year, two officers will be honored and added to the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial:

• Officer Kevin Cram, Algona Police Department. End of Watch September 13, 2023: Officer Cram was attempting to make an arrest around 8 p.m. that night when a suspect shot and killed him, according to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Cram, a 33-year-old husband and father, was a 10-year law enforcement veteran who had been an officer in Algona since 2015. He was the 219th law enforcement officer to die in the line-of-duty.
  

  Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram

• Officer Phoukham Tran, Des Moines Police Department. End of Watch November 2, 2023: Des Moines Senior Police Officer Phoukham Tran had been directing traffic at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 19, 2011, when he was struck by a drunken driver in a 3-ton pickup truck. Tran was thrown nearly 50 feet. He suffered from a punctured lung and severe head trauma. Tran medically retired from the force after the incident. He had served 30 years with the Des Moines Police Department before his retirement. He died November 2nd, 2023.

You are invited to join state and local officials in honoring the fallen peace officers, as well as the many other Iowa officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Dsm Sr. Police Officer Phoukham Tran (Retired)

If you are unable to attend this year’s ceremony, there are many ways you can observe National Police Week May 12-18, 2024. Please take time to thank current peace officers for protecting and serving your community and the great State of Iowa.

Details:
IOWA PEACE OFFICER MEMORIAL CEREMONY
Friday, May 7, 2024 at 10:00 a.m.
Iowa Peace Officer Memorial
Grounds East of Oran Pape State Office Building
215 East 7th Street
Des Moines, Iowa
(Rain Location: State Capitol rotunda)

Facebook Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/IowaDPS/

Find more information about the memorial and previous honorees here: https://dps.iowa.gov/iowa-peace-officer-memorial

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department, today (Friday), announced an arrest in connection with a Murder investigation. The Council Bluffs Police Department (CBPD) Criminal Investigation Division arrested 30-year-old Dequanta R. Zachary, of Council Bluffs. Zachary was charged with two counts of murder in the 1st degree (class A felony) and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon (class D felony).

On April 28th at around 12:18-a.m., CBPD was notified of a man down at the 2100 block of S. 29th Street. Upon arrival, officers found 36-year-old Deonte Ivory, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. At 7:02 a.m., CBPD was notified of a second man down on the 3200 block of S. 24th Street where 25-year-old Michael Anderson was also found deceased. Subsequent autopsies revealed that both Ivory and Anderson died of gunshot wounds.

Officials say, “After a swift and extensive investigation, CBPD Detectives were able to identify a suspect vehicle. The suspect vehicle was later recovered in Mills County.”  The investigation also revealed that Zachary, Ivory, and Anderson were associates. CBPD Detectives located Zachary in Blair, Nebraska, on April 29th, where he was taken into custody with the assistance of the Blair Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. At that time, Zachary was arrested for an outstanding first degree theft (class C felony) warrant, issued by the Council Bluffs Police Department.

CBPD Detectives presented the case to the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s and the aforementioned murder and weapon charges were filed. Zachary is now being held at the Pottawattamie County Jail.

The public is reminded by police, that all persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.” The CBPD would like to thank the community and law enforcement partners who assisted in this investigation. Thank you to the members of the public who came forward with information. The public is always strongly encouraged to come forward and say something if you see something.

Thanks also go to assistance provided by the Mills County Sheriff’s Office (IA) and Omaha Police Department (NE), Blair Police Department (NE), and Washington County Sheriff’s Office (NE). Finally, the CBPD is grateful for the tireless efforts of the detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division. To any individual intending to do violence in the City of Council Bluffs, rest assured you will be identified and held accountable.”