MAXWELL, Iowa (AP) — A pilot was injured when his small plane crashed in northeastern Polk County. The Des Moines Register reports the man, whose name wasn’t released, was hurt when the plane he was piloting crashed Thursday about five miles south of Maxwell.

Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig says the crash happened about 4 p.m. The pilot was the only person on the plane. The pilot was taken by a helicopter to a hospital. Ludwig didn’t know the extent of his injuries, but some reports say he suffered from a broken leg.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been indicted on fraud charges for allegedly stealing $175,000 from her now-dead fiancee and his elderly mother.
Robin Ann Bertelli was arrested Thursday on a 35-count indictment and expected to make an initial appearance Friday in Cedar Rapids.

Bertelli is charged with stealing from accounts that belonged to her fiancee — former Navy SEAL Ken Martin Jr. — and Martin’s mother. Bertelli allegedly started a relationship with Martin around 2013 after a prior husband died and lived with his family in Central City, Iowa.

Martin died in 2016 while on vacation with Bertelli in Puerto Rico from what Bertelli told others was an accidental drowning after hitting his head on a rock. He was 57. The indictment alleges that Bertelli stole checks that belonged to the Martins before and after his death and wrote them payable to herself, forging their signatures.

Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) say the organization is preparing a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application on behalf of the City of Villisca, for a housing rehabilitation project with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). If awarded, Villisca would receive grant funding to rehabilitate at least six (6) homes in the city over a three (3) year period.

Under the program, up to $24,999 in repairs can be made to each home. Additional funds are available for lead abatement. The City’s application is due to IEDA no later than May 4, 2018.

SWIPCO will hold a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 24, 2018 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Villisca City Community Building located at 207 South 3rd Avenue. The town hall meeting will start immediately after a special city council meeting that starts at 5:30 p.m. SWIPCO staff will present information on the CDBG housing rehabilitation program, answer questions, and assist home owners interested in participating in the project to complete pre-applications for submission with the City’s CDBG application to IEDA.

The pre-application is a one-page document asking for the individual’s name and address, whether they are the home owner, the household’s annual income, and a brief description of the home’s repair needs. All citizens are welcome to attend, especially those living in the designated target area. The target area includes all houses south of 4th Street.

SWIPCO Community Development Director Dan Lee says, “We’re excited that Villisca wants to pursue another CDBG housing grant. This program can have a tremendous impact on a City and greatly improve the lives of home owners. We have a relatively short amount of time to build a strong application, but I’m impressed with the City’s response and commitment to making this happen. I encourage everybody to attend the town hall meeting on the 24th. The more home owner pre-applications we can submit with our grant application, the better, to help show there’s an existing need for housing rehabilitation in Villisca.”

Community Development Block Grants are awarded annually by the Iowa Economic Development Authority with funding from the department of Housing and Urban Development with SWIPCO’s assistance. Villisca has received CDBG funds for housing in 2006 and for past water and sewer improvements.

SWIPCO is a council of government serving the eight counties of southwest Iowa with public transportation, community development, and housing. SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, provider, and lender.

Iowa is seeing an increase in both reported cases of child abuse and confirmed cases of abuse. Alli Moerman, spokeswoman for Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, says an increase in the number of reports doesn’t necessarily translate to an increase in cases. “Iowa’s rates of child abuse are higher than the national average,” Moerman says. “We are actually seeing an increase in confirmed cases of child abuse in Iowa which rose, between the years 2015 and 2016, by about 8%. It’s a serious issue and we need to take action to prevent abuse from occurring.”

The laws defining child abuse vary from state to state, which may account for why Iowa’s numbers are higher than the national average. “What Iowa code says is abuse may be different compared to other states,” Moerman says. “We also think one of the main factors is that there are cultural differences around the country as far as communities that are more likely to report abuse and, frankly, communities that may be more aware of the signs of abuse and more likely to report things that are going on.”

The agency is sponsoring its annual Child Abuse Prevention and Family Support Conference in Des Moines next week. The event — scheduled for Monday through Wednesday — should draw about 600 people from across the state. “People that are focused in the fields of family support, social work, education, a lot of professionals who work with families and children,” Moerman says. “We really aim to bring collaboration across sectors that will ultimately help strengthen families and develop components that will lead to greater community change, all with the aim of prevention of child abuse.”

In 2015, Iowa had some 47-thousand referrals for child abuse and neglect. Of those, more than 23-thousand reports were referred for investigation. That same year, the Iowa Department of Human Services says there were nearly 83-hundred children found to be abused statewide, while 12 Iowa children died from abuse or neglect. The Child Abuse Hotline is 800-362-2178. http://www.pcaiowa.org

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Page County Sheriff’s Office say they have received complaints of a scam call going around in the area.  The caller states that the person contacted is in trouble with the Federal Government and is given a number to contact within a short time period or they will be jailed. Sheriff Lyle Palmer says “This is definitely a scam.  Law Enforcement does not contact persons in this manner.  Do not call the number given nor give any information to the caller.”

Another scam is a robo-call stating your Itunes account has been breached. The voice leaves a message telling you return the call to protect your account. Apple does not call its customers to tell them there is a problem. If you have any doubts as to the status of your account, log-in as normal as see if you have any messages, or your designated customer service rep on their official line.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer reports a man who was involved in a rollover accident wasn’t found until nearly seven-hours later, laying in a ditch, suffering from hypothermia. A Sheriff’s Office was notified shortly after 7-a.m. Wednesday, about a single motor vehicle accident that took place near the intersection of 172^nd street and Taylor / Page Avenue, or about six-miles northeast of Clarinda.

A Deputy arrived and found the vehicle upside down with no persons in or under the vehicle.  A search for the person was conducted and a Deputy located 65-year old Steven Richard Olson, of rural Shenandoah, lying in a ditch showing signs of hypothermia.  Clarinda ambulance service was contacted to assess Olson at the scene.  They arrived and transported him to the Clarinda Regional health Center for further evaluation.

The investigation into the accident showed that Olson was driving a 2010 Hyundai westbound on 172^nd street at around 12-a.m. Wednesday, and had attempted to turn left (south) onto Taylor / Page Avenue.  He missed the turn, drove over a Yield sign, and rolled the vehicle in the ditch.  Olson then walked a short distance and passed out in the ditch.  The outside temperature that evening was 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

Citations are pending for Olson.