(Radio Iowa) – Mahaska County Attorney Andrew Ritland is urging the state legislature to update Iowa’s criminal laws on pornography to address the use of new technology. “With the increase of artificially generated images online, either videos of still images, there’s been an increasing problem with individuals taking images of real children and adapting a pornographic image to make it appear that child is involved in a pornographic act,” Ritland said during a House subcommittee hearing.

Ritland told lawmakers there are already such cases in Iowa, but under current law they’re difficult to prosecute. Ritland supports a bill that expands the definition of sexual exploitation of a minor by making it a crime to produce or possess these kind of manipulated images. “In this way we hope to further protect the children of Iowa against these new technological threats and hold perpetrators accountable,” Ritland said.

Mahaska County Attorney Andrew Ritland and Kelly Meyers, lobbyist for Iowa County Attorneys Association, at an Iowa House subcommittee hearing. (RI photo)

Ritland is urging lawmakers to pass another bill dealing with so-called revenge porn that uses artificially manipulated images to harass, intimidate or annoy adults or minors. “Technology is not going to stop, right? The convincing nature of these photos and videos is going to get better and better until it’s indistinguishable to the human eye,” Ritland said. “…We need to get out in front of this issue as soon as we can before we get into a situation where we have to play catch up.”

Both bills have cleared initial review and are eliglble for votes in the Iowa House Judiciary Committee.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was arrested on Sunday, January 21, 2024, and made his initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.

Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, 35, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Iowa with one felony drug offense: possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to the allegations in the unsealed complaint, as part of a Des Moines Police Department investigation, Mohamed was located traveling toward Des Moines from Arizona when the Iowa State Patrol conducted a traffic stop of his vehicle in Decatur County, Iowa. Pursuant to a federal search warrant for Mohamed’s vehicle, approximately 30,000 counterfeit pills suspected of containing fentanyl, weighing approximately 3,182 grams, were located in the luggage area of the vehicle.

This case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Des Moines Police Department is investigating the case, with the assistance of the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Iowa State Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ankeny Police Department, and the Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports 24-year-old Tyler Bascue, of Glenwood, was arrested today (Wednesday, Jan. 24), on a Mills County warrant. Bascue was being held in the Mills County jail on a $5,000 cash-only bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill under consideration in the Iowa Senate would let drivers operate all-terrain vehicles at higher speeds on some Iowa roads. A law passed in 2022 lets A-T-Vs travel on county roads and two-lane state highways at no more than 35 miles an hour. Senator Mike Klimesh, of Spillville, says A-T-Vs can be a hazard when they’re moving at 35 miles an hour. “If they’re about to travel at speed and desire to travel at speed and matches the speed on the highway it eliminates some possible concerns about folks having to go around them that maybe, on the spur of the moment, that was not in their best interest,” Klimesh says.

State law also allows A-T-Vs to travel on gravel roads if they’re being used for farming. Klimesh says A-T-Vs driving at 35 miles an hour or less on a gravel road are at risk of being rear ended. “If I’ve traveled that gravel road every day of my life going to and from my farm unit or going to and from work, I come upon a dust cloud, I’m assuming that that dust cloud is traveling at 45 or 50, which is an average speed for gravel roads I would say for gravel roads throughout the state, except in springtime,” Klimesh says, “then I encounter something that’s limited to 35 miles an hour I don’t know it because it’s inside of a dust cloud.”

Alyson DeMoss, a lobbyist for the Iowa Motorcycle Dealers Association, says the group supports letting A-T-Vs drive up to 35 miles an hour on some roads, but not at higher speeds. “It is our opinion that this raises an increased safety concern in this state. The machines are not made to go at those speeds,” DeMoss said. “…If a machine is able to go those speed limits, oftentimes they have equipment that is not rated to do that. The tires can be rated much less than that.” Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, says he’d like to let Iowa’s largest counties with the most traffic say no to letting A-T-Vs move at higher speeds.”How really important is it we move this speed limit if it risks one child, one young person being killed?” Bisignano asked. “We drive these roads, too, and us being in a car and seeing these vehicles flying at 50 miles an hour.”

The bill cleared a Senate subcommittee this (Wednesday) morning and is eligible for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday) approved the hiring of Kelly Mitchell, as an employee for the Recorder’s Office, and Payton Armstrong, of Greenfield, as Sheriff’s Department Dispatcher/Jailer. They also approved hiring Nathan Reed for a temporary/Part-time Snow Removal/Custodian position. Reed – who works in the Adair County Auditor’s Office as Elections and Real Estate Deputy – told KJAN the Board hopes to hire someone full-time, in the near future.

In other business, the Board heard a FY25 $5,000 funding request from Michelle Wilson with Southern Iowa RC&D, based in Creston. The same amount is being requested from all seven counties they serve.

Southern Iowa Resource Conservation and Development provides project leadership and technical services to individuals, groups and communities to conserve, develop and sustain human and natural resources in southern Iowa through proper land conservation, water resource development, land management and community development. The Board took the request under advisement.

Adair County Engineer Nick Kaufmann presented for the Board to approve and Chair Jerry Walker to sign, a Right-Of-Way contract for the N-26 Lincoln (Township) Culvert Project. Kauffman also made his weekly report on Secondary Roads Department maintenance projects and activities. His report, like that of most area County Engineers, delved into the recent snowstorms and the impact on county roads. Supervisor Jodie Hoadley said most of the comments she’s heard with regard to snow removal in Adair County, were positive.

She said some people were upset that some roads seemed to take priority over others.

Kaufmann said crews worked to take care of those persons who needed emergency assistance, first.

In other business, County Auditor Mandy Berg presented her FY 25 Budget requests, which were taken under advisement.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. Today (Wednesday), 61-year-old Jeffery Richard Pape, of Emerson, was arrested on a warrant for Failure to Appear on an original, Violation of Probation, charge. His bond was set at $2,000.

Tuesday night, 36-year-old Daniel Ruiz-Montoya, of Omaha, was arrested on I-29 at mile marker 40 in Mills County, for Assault on a Law Officer/others (without injury), and Public Intoxication. His bond was set at $1,000.

Saturday evening, 21-year-old Chadrick Justin Taylor, of Windsor, MO., was arrested for OWI/1st offense. Bond set at $1,000.

And, last Thursday, 49-year-old Daniel Michael Wiley, of Glenwood, was arrested in Mills County for OWI/1st offense. His bond was also set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – Fewer Iowans are donating money to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Fund on their tax returns to help wildlife conservation efforts. Last year, about 58-hundred people checked the box for the so-called Chickadee Check-off, which is only about four-tenths of one percent of Iowa’s taxpayers. Stephanie Shepherd, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity Program, says that check-off is the program’s only source of funding.  “The Chickadee Check-off, the number of donors continues to decline for some reason, probably because the way people have done taxes has changed a lot over the years,” Shepherd says. “The Chickadee Check-off was placed on the tax form in 1982, so certainly things have changed a lot.”

She says the check-off funds are vital to the agency’s work to help preserve some of Iowa’s most vulnerable species.  “We’re the folks that are 100% focused on all those wildlife that you can’t hunt, fish or trap, so, non-game wildlife,” Shepherd says. “That includes songbirds, bald eagles, bumblebees, frogs and toads, dragonflies, all the things, the thousands of species that you can’t hunt, fish or trap.” A few recent projects that have been supported by the check-off include investigating the nesting success of bald eagles, and determining the status of the endangered Poweshiek skipperling butterfly.  “The Chickadee Check-off, when it was created, actually created our program,” Shepherd says. “It allows us to do conservation work for all those species, everything from outreach to research to habitat management projects.”

The number of donors to the check-off has dropped by 50-percent in the past 20 years. Last year, it bought in almost 147-thousand dollars, a decline of about eight-thousand dollars from the year before. Iowans can donate as little as a dollar on their state tax form. “The tax form has changed this year. It seems like the legislature made some changes to how the tax form is set up or the Department of Revenue, so it’s in a little bit different spot,” Shepherd says. “Just make sure, if you work with a tax preparer, to remind them that you’d like to donate, and also keep an eye out if you use one of the electronic programs.”

Shepherd notes, 100-percent of donations to the check-off go directly to the program — there are no administrative fees. Also, you don’t have to donate via the tax form. You can donate directly on the D-N-R’s website: https://programs.iowadnr.gov/donations

(Buena Vista County, Iowa) – A crash Tuesday night in northwest Iowa has claimed the life of a man from Storm Lake. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a 2013 Mack semi tractor-trailer, 63-year-old Humberto Aladro-Valdes, of Storm Lake, died in a collision that involved two other semi’s. According to the report, the accident happened at around 7:40-p.m. at the intersection of Highways 71 and 7, on the southeast side of Storm Lake.

Authorities say the semi driven by Valdes was traveling west on Iowa Highway 7, at the same time a 2023 Freightliner semi driven by 56-year-old Cedric Lamont Patterson, of Roxie, MS, was traveling north on Highway 71. A semi driven by 37-year-old Deante Martece Seandal Watson, of Des Moines (IA), was southbound on Highway 71. Valdes’ semi failed to stop at the intersection, and struck the semi driven by Patterson, which continued northbound. Valdes was ejected from the cab of his truck, and died at the scene.

The trailer of Patterson’s semi sideswiped the trailer of Watson’s semi. No other injuries were reported. The State Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department, as well as the Storm Lake Fire and Police Departments.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – City officials in Glenwood have announced the City Council of the City of Glenwood, has a vacancy of the At-Large Council seat. The council seat expires December 31, 2025, and is vacant as of January 10, 2024, pursuant to the Code of Iowa. The Council has elected to fill the vacancy by appointment, but the electors of the City have the right to file a petition requiring that the vacancy be filled by a special election. Petition must be filed within fourteen (14) days of the notice or the appointment, whichever is later. The appointment will be in effect until the next pending election, as defined in the Code of Iowa.

The Council will make the appointment to fill the vacancy at the regularly scheduled council meeting on February 13, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at Glenwood City Hall. The appointment will become effective immediately and will expire December 31, 2025. Eligible electors of the City of Glenwood, Iowa, wanting to be considered for appointment should submit a request in writing or by email to the city clerk’s office by 12:00 p.m. February 2, 2024. Requests can be mailed, or hand delivered to City Hall, 5 N. Vine St, Glenwood, IA or submitted via email to cityclerk@cityofglenwood.org. Interviews with prospective appointees will be conducted the week of Feb. 5-9,2024.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Officials with the Page County Attorney’s Office said Tuesday, that a man from Clarinda was found guilty Monday in Page County District Court, of the crime of Lascivious Acts with a Child, a class C felony. 41-year-old Jesse J. Stimson was originally charged on September 13, 2023, with one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a class B felony, one count of Lascivious Acts with a Child, a class C felony, and one Count of Indecent Contact with a Child, an aggravated misdemeanor. On January 22, 2024, Stimson entered into a negotiated plea of guilty to Lascivious Acts with a Child. As part of that plea, the State dismissed the Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree charge and the Indecent Acts with a Child charge.

Jesse J. Stimson

As part of his sentence, Stimson was ordered to serve a sentence of up to 10 years of incarceration, which was suspended, he was placed on two years of formal probation, he will be required to reside at the Residential Treatment Center until maximum benefits are achieved, and he was ordered to complete the Sex Offender Treatment Program. Stimson will also be required to register as a sex offender and placed on a special sentence which will include a 10-year parole, pursuant to Iowa Code.