ST. LOUIS (AP) — Supporters of a mentally challenged woman convicted in two states in the 1994 kidnapping and killing of two elderly women say she was actually a victim of the men involved in the crime and are pushing for her release. They’ve persuaded one state — Missouri — to grant Angel Stewart parole. But things are more complicated in Iowa, where Stewart is serving a life-in-prison sentence that does not include the option for parole.

Stewart, now 45, was convicted in two states because one of the victims abducted in Des Moines, Iowa, was driven just across the state line to Missouri and killed. Two men, Steven Bradley and Garland Shaffer, were convicted of first-degree murder and are serving life terms in Iowa.

A suburban St. Louis-based advocacy group for women in need of legal assistance, the WILLOW Project, took up Stewart’s case, saying Stewart was abused and tortured by those men, was not directly involved in the crimes, and went along only out of fear. They also cite her IQ, estimated at 65, saying she was unable to defend herself to police after her 1994 arrest.

“She essentially lost her whole life for something she didn’t do because she couldn’t tell her own story in a way understandable to people,” Anne Geraghty-Rathert, director of the Webster University-based WILLOW Project, said. Advocates are now preparing a clemency request to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. A spokeswoman for the Republican governor said the request has not yet been received and declined further comment.

Stewart was 19 when she and her 1-year-old son began sharing a Des Moines apartment with Bradley, Shaffer and a 16-year-old runaway, Angel Chamberlain. Bradley was 32 at the time, and Shaffer was 68. It didn’t take long before the men became abusive, Geraghty-Rathert said. The young women were beaten and padlocked inside the apartment.

An 82-year-old woman who lived near the apartment, Phyllis King, grew concerned and contacted Stewart’s mother. Shaffer went to King’s house to confront her. When he did, another neighbor, 79-year-old Clara Baker, threatened to call police. Shaffer admitted that he abducted both women at gunpoint. He strangled Baker and dumped and her body was dumped along an Iowa interstate highway, hidden beneath an abandoned chair in a ravine.

Later, Shaffer drove King across the state line and beat her to death with a board, dumping the body in a wooded area near Kahoka, Missouri, court records show.
Bradley, Shaffer, Stewart and Chamberlain were arrested at a motel in Osceola, Iowa, in June 1994. Chamberlain was jailed briefly in a juvenile facility and later released.
Stewart said she went along with the men only out of fear for her life and her son’s life. But facing a potential murder charge and told that could mean the death penalty in Missouri, she agreed to plead guilty to kidnapping in both states.

John Sarcone has been county attorney in Iowa’s Polk County since 1991, and he prosecuted Stewart. He believes prison is “where she belongs.” “They were involved in the process,” Sarcone said of Stewart and Chamberlain. “They could have saved these women, and they didn’t. Years later it’s very easy to make the claim you were forced into it, but those poor ladies never had a chance.”

Geraghty-Rathert said she is hopeful Stewart will soon be freed based in part on the growing acceptance about how an abuser can coerce a victim. “The public is beginning to believe that there are stories like this out there,” Geraghty-Rathert said.

Firefighters from Anita are on the scene of a fully engulfed semi-tractor trailer fire. The truck is located on Interstate 80 westbound at mile marker 70. The driver was out of the vehicle and safe. Be prepared to slow down if you are approaching the area. The fire was reported at around 8:35-a.m. Firecrews reported the blaze was out at 8:49-a.m.

City crews in Red Oak worked into the wee hours of today (Sunday), clearing roadways of debris from tree limbs and power lines that fell during winds that blew up to 63 mph, Saturday night at around 9:30.

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency said all major roadways had been cleared by around 2-a.m., but there were still some large trees down on some houses and vehicles throughout town.

Authorities say if you encounter downed trees or power lines use caution and contact the proper officials. There were no other immediate reports of damage, or injuries, as of early today (Sunday).

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Libertarian candidate for the Iowa Legislature has been arrested and jailed on harassment charges. The Des Moines Register reports that 39-year-old Chad Roye Brewbaker, of Clive, was jailed Friday afternoon after police say he repeatedly ignored a court order to stop all communication with a woman. Brewbaker is running for the Iowa House District 43 seat, which includes the cities of Windsor Heights and Clive.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday. Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, have been charged in the attack.

ROCKWELL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Mason City man died has died after falling into a grain bin at Five Star Co-op in Rockwell. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Friday morning. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 56-year-old Jeffrey Alan Sprague. Investigators say employees discovered Sprague was missing sometime after 7:30 a.m. Friday.

AUDUBON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a driver distracted by texting rammed into the back of a trooper’s patrol car. The Des Moines Register reports that the patrol reported crash Friday in a Facebook post. The patrol says the crash happened Aug. 8 when a young driver in Audubon hit the parked patrol car in a residential neighborhood near the trooper’s home. Investigators say driver had been texting and driving when the crash happened.

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — A Libertarian candidate for the Iowa Legislature has been arrested and jailed on harassment charges. The Des Moines Register reports that 39-year-old Chad Roye Brewbaker, of Clive, was jailed Friday afternoon after police say he repeatedly ignored a court order to stop all communication with a woman. Brewbaker remained in the Polk County Jail on Saturday.

Brewbaker is running for the Iowa House District 43 seat, which includes the cities of Windsor Heights and Clive. It’s not Brewbaker’s first harassment case. Court records show that in 2009, he was convicted of third-degree harassment for harassing a female student while he was a graduate assistant at Iowa State University. In 2010, Brewbaker was given a one-year suspension from Iowa State.

Racist phone calls mocking Florida’s black Democratic gubernatorial nominee appear to be from a white supremacist podcast that has also taken credit for inflammatory robocalls in Iowa and California.

In the recorded calls, someone falsely identifying himself as Andrew Gillum speaks in a racist, old-time minstrel dialect while asking voters for their support. The calls, which according to the Gillum campaign started Friday, are said to be paid for by The Road to Power — an Idaho-based video podcast. Gillum campaign spokesman Geoff Burgan said it’s unclear how widespread the calls have been, but that he’s only heard reports of them in Tallahassee, where Gillum is mayor.

Gillum’s Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, is not affiliated with the podcast behind the calls. His campaign spokesman, Stephen Lawson, called them “absolutely appalling and disgusting.”

In Iowa , anti-immigrant robocalls from The Road to Power began Tuesday — two days after the funeral of Mollie Tibbetts, a University of Iowa student who authorities say was abducted and killed by a man believed to be in the U.S. illegally.

ROCKWELL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Mason City man died has died after falling into a grain bin at Five Star Co-op in Rockwell. The Globe Gazette reports that the incident happened Friday morning. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man as 56-year-old Jeffrey Alan Sprague.

Investigators say employees discovered Sprague was missing sometime after 7:30 a.m. Friday. Authorities searched the property. Official say the grain was removed from the bin, uncovering Sprague’s body.

Officials say the investigation will continue through the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Decorah man severely injured in an attack in July has died from his injuries. The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office tells the Courier that 46-year-old David Hansen was injured in an attack on July 12. He died Thursday.
A man and a teenager have been charged.

Officials say 18-year-old Dalton Adam and a 17-year-old boy, both of Decorah, were arrested after the assault. Officials say they currently face charges of attempted murder, but those charges could be upgraded in the wake of Hansen’s death. The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.

Court records say someone called 911 to report the attack, and deputies and medics found Hansen severely beaten with a bloody and swollen face.

Due to the weather, the following events or services are cancelled and/or rescheduled:  (For additional announcements as available, see the Cancellations page under Community Hub)

9/1/18 – Anita Masonic Golf Night – postponed (Reset for Sept. 15th)

Unrelated to the weather:

9/2/18 – The Marne and Buck Creek United Methodist Church services have been cancelled for today (Sunday).

AUDUBON, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a driver distracted by texting rammed into the back of a trooper’s patrol car. The Des Moines Register reports that the patrol reported crash Friday in a Facebook post. The post shows a photo of the patrol car with heavy back-end damage. The patrol says the crash happened Aug. 8 when a young driver in Audubon hit the parked patrol car in a residential neighborhood near the trooper’s home. Investigators say driver had been texting and driving when the crash happened.

Photo from Post 4 in Denison, showing the accident scene in Audubon. (from the ISP Facebook page)

No one was in the parked patrol car at the time of the crash. The driver of the car that hit it was ticketed and will pay for damages.