Two children were flown to Des Moines hospitals in separate near-drowning incidents over the weekend at state park beaches. Alex Murphy, spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, is reminding parents to keep a close eye on their kids’ whereabouts and have them wear life jackets – even though they’re not required for swimming at a state park beach.

“There are no laws that say kids or anyone has to wear a life jacket when they’re in those swimming areas,” Murphy says. “But, I always tell people it’s the best idea to wear a life jacket. That could literally save a life.” A two-year-old girl disappeared while swimming at Big Creek State Park near Des Moines on Saturday night — and was found underwater.

CPR was performed, the child was revived and last reported in critical condition. A similar situation happened Sunday at Rock Creek State Park in Jasper County where a nine-year-old was rescued. Murphy says swimming at a state park beach can be dangerous, as the floor of the lake can drop off suddenly.  “When you’re visiting the lakes and beach areas, you’re going in at your own risk. This isn’t a controlled swimming pool, like a city swimming pool where there are lifeguards on duty. There are no lifeguards on duty (at state park beaches),” Murphy says.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re an avid swimmer or not, nobody knows exactly what those conditions are like under there. Everybody needs to take extreme caution when you’re out there at the beach.” Two other incidents on Iowa waterways claimed lives over the weekend. On Friday, a Minnesota man drowned in the Des Moines River while trying to save his 7-year-old niece.

It happened below Red Rock Dam in Marion County. The girl was rescued by a boater and transported to a hospital. In Wapello County, a fisherman disappeared Saturday morning on the Des Moines River in Ottumwa. His boat was found, unoccupied, later in the day. The body of 79-year-old Richard Mart, of Ottumwa, was recovered from the river this (Monday) morning.

(Radio Iowa)

Republican Congressman David Young says America is “leading the way” again, internationally, now that President Trump is in office. “Getting out of the Iran agreement, sitting down at the table with the leader of North Korea, moving our embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in Israel — some incredible things are happening right now,” Young says. “We need to keep the momentum going. The last eight years, it takes a while to dig out of that. That status quo was not working.”

Young made his comments Saturday to delegates at the Iowa G-O-P’s state convention. Cindy Axne, Young’s Democratic challenger in the third congressional district, addressed delegates at her party’s state convention on Saturday as well.  “When I’m out talking with people across this district, Iowans are working incredibly hard and they’re playing by the rules, but one thing is for sure: Washington doesn’t have our back and we deserve better,” Axne said.

The Cook Political Report — an agency that analyzes federal political candidates and races — classifies Iowa’s third congressional district as “leaning Republican” heading into November. The district covers 16 southwest Iowa counties and includes the cities of Des Moines and Council Bluffs.

(Radio Iowa)

Police in Council Bluffs say a Nebraska man was arrested early this (Monday) morning on six-counts of Kidnapping, Going Armed with Intent, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, three-counts of Domestic Abuse, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine. 36-year old Derrick Jones, of Omaha, was arrested after authorities received word at around 3:30-a.m., that he was holding people against their will in an apartment building in the 800 block of 2nd Avenue.

Derrick Jones

The report also said Jones was armed. Responding officers and detectives were able to establish that Derrick Jones had earlier been inside an apartment, which was occupied by several tenants of the building, when a disturbance started. It is alleged that Jones, while armed with a handgun, refused to allow anyone to leave the apartment over a period of about two hours.

During these two hours, it was reported that Jones assaulted multiple people by striking them at different times with the handgun and also with a metal wrench. Two people were treated and released at a Council Bluffs hospital for injuries they received during the incident, all others either refused or did not need medical attention.

Jones was placed under arrest and was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on the charges mentioned.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports five people were arrested over the past week. 18-year old Drew Darin Steckelberg, of Adair, was arrested June 12th for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Authorities say Steckelberg allegedly punched his father in the back during a verbal argument, and after his father asked him to leave. He was released from the Adair County Jail the following day on a $300 cash or surety bond. At around 1-p.m. June 12th, 26-year old Haley Nicole Hamler, of Knoxville, was arrested at the Marion County Jail, on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. Hamler was released June 15th on a $2,000 cash bond.

On June 13th at around 1:15-a.m., 36-year old Andrea Lea Kimble, of West Des Moines, was arrested on I-80 in Adair County, for OWI/2nd offense. The woman was taken into custody after she displayed signs of intoxication to a deputy, who had stopped to help her when her vehicle ran out of gas.  Kimble was released from custody later that same day, on a $200 cash bond.

Just before midnight June 14th, 33-year old Derik Wayne Bud Pickrell, of Fontanelle, was arrested on Adair County warrants for Failure to Appear on original charges of Driving While Barred, Violation of Probation, and Driving While Barred.  His cash bond was set at $6,000. And, 28-year old Matthew David Alluisi, of Orient, was arrested June 15th for Public Intoxication, after he was found laying on the floor of the Old Hotel lobby in Greenfield at around 11:35-p.m. After Greenfield Police woke the man up, they detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from him. Alluisi was released from custody the following afternoon on an $800 cash or surety bond.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Officials have recovered the body of a fisherman who went missing in southeast Iowa. A local boater found the body of 79-year-old Richard Lewis Mart, of Ottumwa, in the Des Moines River around 8:30 a.m. Monday. His body was found just north of the Blackhawk Road Access, northwest of Omaha. Authorities had been searching for Mart since his boat was discovered wedged a riverbank on Saturday morning on what is known as Turkey Island.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports four recent arrests. Last Friday, 24-year old Alex Lee Pleis, of Audubon, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Probation Violation. Pleis was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $5,000 bond. Also arrested Friday, was 49-year old Robin Renee Vinzant, of Atlantic, on a Polk County warrant. Vinzant was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day to Polk County authorities.

On June 13th, 27-year old Michelle Lee Dougherty, of Atlantic, was arrested in Cass County on charges of Possession of Meth 1st Offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Dougherty was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on her own recognizance. And, on June 12th, 45-year old William Michael Cook,  of Stockton, AL, was arrested on a charge of OWI 1st Offense.. Cook was also arrested at the same time by the Atlantic Police Department on a charge of Assault with Bodily Injury. He was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $2,000 bond.