(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is facing a shortage of attorneys, and prosecutors in one northwest Iowa county are working harder to keep up. Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis says his office needs five more attorneys to be at the full capacity of 18, so he and his staff are working longer hours to cover an increasing criminal caseload. “So, it’s lent itself to many challenges,” Loomis says. “My day usually starts at six o’clock in the morning, and it usually ends around midnight, and then, I get up the next day and do it all over again.” The county recently approved higher salaries to try to entice people to apply.

The president of the Iowa State Bar Association, Ian Russell, says there is a need for lawyers in all areas of the profession, especially in smaller communities and for indigent defense work. “If there was a single reason why,” Russell says, “I would address that reason and do my best to fix it.” Russell says it’s a combination of factors that are keeping some from pursuing a career in law. “Some of it’s just the aging population, some of it’s people not interested in law,” Russell says. “Some if it’s people not interested in being in Iowa.”

From 2014 to 2022, the number of licensed lawyers who live and practice in the state has fallen by more than 260, or about 3.5%.

(Radio Iowa) – State lawmakers are being urged to provide incentives to attract much-needed first responders. Woodbury County Emergency Services Director Scott Mitchell says many small towns and cities across the state struggle with finding enough people to serve as firefighters, ambulance drivers, and E-M-Ts. “The volunteers aren’t there anymore, and I don’t know if it’s not the community dedication is like it used to be, but it’s becoming a very, very large issue,” Mitchell says. Mitchell is the mayor and volunteer firefighter for the small community of Hornick. He says there needs to be something that gives new recruits a reason to volunteer.

“You got to put in the training. There’s no incentive whatsoever for younger people to do it. And why would they want to give up their time if there’s nothing, they’re gonna gain?,” he says.

Mitchell made his comments during a recent legislative forum in Sioux City, where county supervisors and city clerks challenged lawmakers to find creative ways to attract recruits. Some suggestions include providing state-issued health insurance, access to the state retirement plan, and training grants.

(Radio Iowa) – A local official is calling for changes at the State Training School for Boys in Eldora. Hardin County Supervisor B-J Hoffman says the school should no longer be part of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. “We’ve asked that the state of Iowa transition the State Training School to the auspices of the Department of Corrections and put some actual security out there,” Hoffman says, “where they can stand up and not take a beating from these young men and there’d be some consequences.” Hoffman says Hardin County taxpayers are footing the bill for the response when juveniles at the facility get violent.

“It’s just a revolving door of charges and law enforcement presence at that facility,” Hoffman says. Minors who’ve committed crimes and declared delinquent in juvenile court are placed in the State Training School for Boys. In 2020, a federal judge ordered staff to quit using extended periods of solitary confinement and a full-body canvas wrap as discipline. A 2021 consultants report found mental health treatment and behavior modification had improved at the facility, but student assaults on other students continued to escalate. Hoffman, the Hardin County supervisor, says a number of violent offenders has jumped dramatically.

“That amount of violence has caused the Hardin County Attorney’s Office to be significantly more engaged than we ever have before,” Hoffman says. Hoffman says it’s interfering with the day-to-day operations at the Hardin County Attorney’s Office. According to the county’s website, there are two attorneys, a legal secretary and a paralegal working in the county attorney’s office.

(Sidney, Iowa) – The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests:

Daniel Jay Kitchens

On Jan. 1st, deputies arrested 65-year-old Daniel Jay Kitchens, of Thurman, for Burglary 3rd Degree and Violation of a No Contact Order. Kitchens was being held at the Fremont County Jail on a $10,000 cash/surety bond. Authorities say Kitchens was previously released on Dec. 7, 2023 after posting a $5,000 cash/surety bond on a charge of Extortion. He was also released Nov. 16, 2023, after posting an $18,000 cash bond for an incident involving the discharge of a firearm during an altercation.

Justin Kase Moore

On Tuesday, Jan. 2nd, 39-year-old Justin Kase Moore, of Council Bluffs, turned himself into the Fremont County Jail on an active warrant for Eluding. It is alleged that in July of 2023, Moore lead Fremont and Mills County Deputies in a pursuit while operating a motorcycle on Interstate 29. The pursuit was terminated upon entering Nebraska and a warrant was issued in the case. Moore was released after posting a $1,000 cash/surety bond.