(FORT MADISON) – Two staff members were assaulted by an inmate at the Iowa State Penitentiary on Friday, March 29, 2019 at approximately 4:30 p.m.  Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Corrections say while a staff psychologist was meeting with an inmate in her office located in one of the housing units, the inmate began to physically assault her. A nearby correctional officer heard the assault taking place, and quickly responded to the assault.

The inmate resisted the attempts by the officer to restrain him, and struck the officer several times in the struggle. The officer was able to deploy oleoresin capsicum (pepper spray) to gain control of the inmate until additional officers arrived to restrain the inmate.

The staff and the inmate that were involved in the assault were assessed by institution medical professionals and found to have not suffered any major injuries. The incident remains under investigation.

A traffic stop in Fremont County Friday night, resulted in the arrest on drug charges of three people from the Omaha/Council Bluffs area. Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports deputies with his K9 Unit were conducting a narcotics investigation in Sidney at around 11:30-p.m. Friday, when they stopped a 2016 Volkswagen near the intersection of 120th Street and Highway 275.

Deputies arrested 42-year old Bud Minshall of Omaha, along with 34-year old Crystal Hammers and 23-year old Devin Danker, both of Council Bluffs. All three were arrested for Delivery of Over 5 Grams of Methamphetamine, a Class B Felony.  Danker was also found to be in possession of a loaded handgun.  Additional charges are pending.

The suspects were being held at the Fremont County Jail, pending initial appearance with a Magistrate. The Mills County K9 Unit and Tabor Police Department assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office with the call.

Danker

Hammers

Minshall

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, Friday evening, released a report on arrests taking place over the past week. On Friday (March 29), Hanna Boccella, of Des Moines, was arrested at the Polk County Jail on a Guthrie County warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance 2nd Offense. Boccella was transported to the Guthrie County Jail. Boccella appeared before the Guthrie County Magistrate and was ordered to be held on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

March 26th – Travis Smith, of Bagley, was arrested on Guthrie County warrants for Operating While Intoxicated 2nd Offense and (2) counts of Child Endangerment. Smith appeared before the Guthrie County Magistrate and was held on a $2,000 cash or surety bond. Smith posted bond and was released from custody; Douglas Mcley, of Bouton, was arrested for Probation Violation. The original charges were Possession of Marijuana 2nd Offense. Mcley appeared before the Guthrie County Magistrate and was held on a $3,000 cash only bond.

March 24th – Paul Palmer Jr., of Des Moines, was arrested for Probation Violation. The original charges were Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury. Palmer Jr. was held on bond by the Guthrie County Magistrate. Palmer Jr. posted bond and was released from custody.

March 22nd – Brian Krakau, of Guthrie Center, was arrested for Public Intoxication 1st Offense in Guthrie Center.  Krakau was booked into the Guthrie County Jail and later posted $300.00 cash bond.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — A man convicted of leaving the scene after his girlfriend leaped to her death from his car in southeast Iowa has been sentenced to five years in prison. The Des Moines Register reports that 29-year-old Damian Hamann was sentenced Friday. He was found guilty in December of leaving the scene of a fatal accident.

Hamann told investigators that 20-year-old Sadie Alvarado, of Muscatine, jumped from his car on Aug. 5 in rural Lee County as they were arguing. He says he drove home to Morning Sun, but went back later to look for her. Her body already had been found by a passer-by.

An autopsy report shows she suffered blunt force injuries after her leap and had a blood alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit to drive.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of the three insurance companies providing services for the Iowa Medicaid program is quitting. The Iowa Department of Human Services says UnitedHealthcare informed the state Friday it would leave the in the next several months.

DHS Director Jerry Foxhoven says Medicaid recipients will be asked to choose one of the other two companies, Amerigroup of Iowa or Centene Corp. subsidiary Iowa Total Care for coverage.

Gov. Kim Reynolds says she ended negotiations with UnitedHealthcare on Friday when the company dictated contract terms she believed unreasonable. Former Gov. Terry Branstad hired private companies to manage the Medicaid program previously run by the state in 2016 and it has been the target of criticism since for cuts in services, reported slow payment of bills and doubts about its promised savings to taxpayers.

After completing public interviews of all 30 applicants, the State Judicial Nominating Commission said Friday it has selected a slate of six nominees to fill the two vacancies on the Iowa Court of Appeals that occurred when Chief Judge David Danilson retired on January 4, 2019, and Judge Christopher McDonald filled the Supreme Court vacancy on March 7, 2019.

Among the nominees is Julie Schumacher, District Court Judge – Third Judicial District, from Schleswig. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has thirty days in which to make the appointments to the court from this slate of nominees.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa issued the following statement today (Friday), after touring flood-devastated areas of southwest Iowa and three meetings with community leaders, emergency managers, small business owners, farmers and other Iowans affected by flooding in the region.

“I saw destruction and loss in the flooded parts of southwest Iowa. I also saw strength. Farmers and small towns always have the steepest uphill climb to recover after natural disasters, but I’ll be doing all I can to help.

“On Monday, the Senate will be voting on disaster funding that would help the recovery process for the farms, businesses and the everyday lives of Iowans, Nebraskans and others suffering from natural disasters. I’ve heard discussion from some of my colleagues who want to bring up unrelated issues, but we can debate those at another time. I sure hope my colleagues who have been visiting Iowa will be able to tell farmers and small business owners they aren’t standing in the way of assistance for the Midwest recovery the next time they visit.”

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would get rid of the special conventions that pick party nominees if no candidate gets at least 35 percent of the vote on Primary Election Day. Senator Brad Zaun of Urbandale found himself in that situation five years ago. He was the top vote-getter in the Republican Primary in Iowa’s third congressional district, but with just 25 percent. A district nomination convention had to be held — and G-O-P delegates chose David Young over Zaun.

“God had a different plan for me and I’m so glad I’m not out there in that dysfunction in that cesspool out there in Washington, D.C.,” Zaun says. Zaun’s bill calls for having a run-off election in early August if none of the candidates in the June Primary Election get at least 35 percent of the vote.

“What this bill does is it creates a run-off between the top two vote getters and then that person would be the nominee for whatever the party is,” Zaun said. The Iowa Senate has embraced this run-off concept before, but it has stalled in the House and the bill faces a deadline this year. If a House COMMITTEE fails to pass the bill by next Friday, it will be sidelined for the year.