(Audubon, Iowa) – A man from Exira was sentenced to prison last week, in Audubon County District Court. According to online court documents, 45-year-old Mark A. Smith agreed to a plea deal that resulted in his being sentenced May 9, 2023 to 10-years in prison, with credit for time served. Smith was charged with Felony 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse in connection with an incident that occurred March 3,2021.

Smith had previously been cited into court last Decemeber, on two counts Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree, and two counts Sex Abuse in the 2nd Degree, on September 22, 2022. In October, 2022, four-counts of Lascivious Acts with a child that allegedly took place in Sept., 2020, were dismissed by the court.

In addition to his prison sentence, Smith was ordered to pay a fine of $1,370, but that was suspended by the court. He must register on the State’s Sex Offender Registry, submit a DNA sample for the record, and pay a civil penalty.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports two separate arrests took place, Friday. 39-year-old Trisha Jae Johnston, of Creston, was arrested at her residence, Friday evening. Johnston was charged with Driving while Barred. She was taken to the Creston Union County LEC, cited and released.

And, at around 12:35-a.m., Friday, Creston Police arrested 21-year-old Jacob Stover Rushing, of Creston, at the intersection of Wyoming and Highway 34. Rushing was charged with OWI 1st offense. He was taken to the Union County Jail, and later released on a $1, 000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – National Bike to Work Week starts today (Monday) and the sudden proliferation of electric bikes, e-scooters and even e-skateboards is bringing a new series of risks and challenges — as well as benefits. Cara Hamann, director of training and education at the Injury Prevention Research Center, based at the University of Iowa, says motorists can be surprised when one of these so-called “micro mobility devices” darts into their path on a city street. “When you get on these things, you can go pretty fast. People aren’t used to seeing someone like on a human-powered scooter or skateboard go that fast,” Hamann says, “and so there’s a lot of times misperception by the drivers of how fast people are going on these small devices, and that mismatch can lead to collisions.”

While plenty of people ride traditional bicycles for the exercise, many of the e-bikes also require you to pedal in order to move, just not as much. “There is one class of e-bike, Class Two, where it has a throttle that you don’t have to pedal, but the majority of what you see, you do have to pedal, so you’re getting at least some physical activity,” Hamann says. “The other biggest benefit is using something like an e-bike instead of a car, you have environmental benefits of less emissions.”

Plus, the smaller, personal electric vehicles can help to relieve traffic congestion, while gas-powered vehicles sitting in traffic emit even more pollution. In most communities, this micro mobility technology has advanced faster than ordinances have been passed, so e-scooters may not need a license plate, nor do the riders need to be licensed to take them on the road. In some Iowa cities, e-bikes are readily available for rent on downtown street corners. “Especially with things like e-scooters, there’s been major loopholes in city code. You’ll have e-scooter companies just drop a fleet of e-scooters in a city overnight,” Hamann says, “and there isn’t any policy against it and so all of a sudden, you have these scooters all over the place.”

Electric bike

Dockless e-scooters can be rented for minutes at a time and then left anywhere, so the next renter has to use a smartphone app to find it. That leads to the devices being dropped on sidewalks, creating clutter and a hazard. Plus, some e-scooter users may choose to zip down a sidewalk, darting between pedestrians, which can also be problematic. “People riding them on the sidewalk is a major concern because they can travel pretty fast. On an e-scooter, you can get up to 30 miles per hour, something that really should be ridden on the road, not on the sidewalk,” Hamann says. “That kind of speed mismatch between someone walking and someone on an e-scooter can lead to major injuries if there is a collision.”

While micro mobility devices can be positive additions to our transportation system, Hamann says we need to hone in on safety and policy, and she adds, drivers need to pay attention and be patient in sharing the road.

(Radio Iowa) – State Patrol Troopers who look for illegal drugs on the interstates that crisscross Iowa say our state is no longer just a drive through area on the way to larger cities. Captain Nathan Andrews says the amount of drugs they’ve seen indicate the drugs are now being stored here for distribution. “Hundreds of pounds of meth, coke, fentanyl coming to Des Moines to be harbored in Des Moines,” Andrews says. “So it’s becoming what we always call like a hub city,” he says.

He says they have never seen that before in Des Moines and Iowa in general. “Some suspicions on that might be the borders are pretty porous right now. So they’re bringing in whatever they can get in while they can before that gets locked down or something changes down there, and it’s got to go somewhere,” he says. “So let’s get it in the United States, let’s harbor it up everywhere we can harbor wherever we have organization that can handle it. That could be one reason.” Andrews says the pandemic saw enforcement slowed down and that freed up a lot of movement for criminals, which could be another reason the drugs are being stored in Iowa.

Drugs seized ISP photo

Trooper Ryan Zenor works with the Patrol’s drug dogs and says they routinely see hundreds of pounds of drugs in one stop. “Twenty years ago, and we’re seeing this to walk up, get probable cause and search a car and find 40 to 50 kilos of methamphetamine, cocaine and suitcases in a trunk was unheard of. We would find compartments electronic compartment, and you may find one or two pounds. And that was an absolute huge seizure back in the day,” Zenor says. He says they track the quantity and dollar value of the drugs they seize on the interstates. “Just in 2022 we had 665 pounds of marijuana, one-point-five million (dollars). Cocaine 442 pounds 15-point-five million street value. Methamphetamine 241 pounds six-point-three million street value,” Zenor says.

He says the really alarming number is the seixure of 11-and-a-half pounds of fentanyl. Zenor says that doesn’t seem like a lot when you look at the other drug amounts, but it’s more dangerous. “Just a little dangerous scuff is lethal to us,” he says. Zenor says federal officials did some figuring on the impact after a big fentanyl seizure over in Omaha last year. “They did some studies on if five pounds of fentanyl was airborne, it would take out the population of Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota in one shot. That’s how lethal it is. If you could actually get fentanyl airborne, it would take out all populations of Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota,” Zenor says.

The two say they continue to see large amounts of drugs coming across the state this year. The Troopers made their presentation ruing the recent meeting of the state Transportation Commission.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A 19-year-old female from Bellevue, NE., was seriously injured during a single-vehicle accident this (Sunday) morning, in Council Bluffs. Authorities say Emergency crews from Council Bluffs responded to the area of Harry Langdon Blvd. and Highway 92, a little before 6:30-a.m. Sunday, upon learning of the accident. The woman was identified Monday as Ayana Denny.

Police says a red Ford Focus had left the roadway and Denny was pinned inside. The woman had to be extricated from the vehicle by the Council Bluffs Fire Department. She was transported to the hospital for treatment of life threatening injuries.

An initial investigation indicated car was traveling north bound on Wabash Ave / Harry Langdon, crossed Highway 92, and went out of control before exiting the roadway and striking a power pole guide wire. The vehicle came to rest about 500 feet from the intersection, in the 3300 block of Harry Langdon Blvd.

Officials say speed and failure to wear a seatbelt are believed to be major contributing factors in this crash. The roadway was shut down for approximately 2 ½ hrs while the scene was investigated and the power pole was fixed by Mid America Energy.

The crash is being investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Special Operations Traffic Unit.

(Radio Iowa) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — expected to announce soon that he’s running for president — is urging Iowa Republicans not to be distracted by the past. During a speech in Sioux Center, DeSantis did not mention former President Trump by name, but he told the crowd Republicans must offer a “positive alternative” to President Biden in 2024.

DeSantis accused Democrats of trying to make conservatives second class citizens and he touted the bills he and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds have signed into law, including a six week abortion ban and removing books from schools that contain graphic passages or images about sex. “Governing is not about entertaining. Governing is not about building a brand or talking on social media and virtue signaling. It’s ultimately about winning and about producing results and that’s what you’ve done in Iowa and that’s what we’ve done in Florida,” DeSantis said, to applause.

DeSantis, who won his 2022 campaign for governor of Florida by 20 points, referred to Republican victories in Iowa last year as well. “Republicans can win again and can win big, we just have to make sure we’re leading with purpose and conviction and that we’re delivering results to the people that we represent.” DeSantis was the keynote speaker at Congressman Randy Feenstra’s annual fundraiser that has featured former Vice President Mike Pence and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the past.

Feenstra told the crowd of about 600 that the governors of Iowa and Florida have exhibited the kind of leadership that’s needed for the rest of the country. ” We need that common sense, conservative leadership now more than ever,” Feenstra said. Feenstra has not endorsed a presidential candidate, but a political action committee allied with DeSantis announced 37 Republicans serving in the Iowa House and Senate have endorsed DeSantis.

The Trump campaign announced Saturday it has endorsements from 19 Republican legislators, along with former Congressman Rod Blum of Dubuque and grassroots supporters in each of Iowa’s 99 counties. Trump had planned to speak at a rally Saturday night in Des Moines, the outdoor event was cancelled due to a tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – The Page County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests, citations and accidents that took place from April 19th through May 1st. There were three arrests:

• 81-year-old Jackie Lee Batten, Sr., (no known address) was arrested at 1180 S. 16th Street in Clarinda, on April 19th, for Violation of the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.
• 38-year-old Joshua Dean Cooney, of Villisca, was arrested April 21st, for Driving While Suspended.
• and, on April 22nd, 20-year-old Evan Lee Carpenter, of Clarinda, was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office, on an active Page County warrant for Driving While Suspended.

There were two accidents in late April, in Page County. On the 16th, Jacob Lewis Cartwright was driving south in the 1100 block of Highway 48, when a deer entered the roadway. Jacob’s vehicle struck the deer, causing damage to the vehicle. And, on April 25th, Jane Maxwell Liles was driving north on G Avenue. When she swerved to miss a raccoon, her vehicle struck the guardrail and sustained damage.

Those who were cited in Page County, include the following:

4/16/2023 Sebastain Michael Walters of Nebraska City Nebraska. Highway #2 and 210th street. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/16/2023 Teah Nicole Stull of Malvern Iowa. Highway #2 and C ave. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/17/2023 Wyatt Taylor Barkman of Stanton Iowa. Highway #71 and 250th Street. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/18/2023 Virginia Kay Battaglia of Kansas City Missouri. Highway #71 and 120th Street. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/20/2023 Aradia Victoria Cox of Nebraska City Nebraska. Highway #48. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/21/2023 Joshua Dean Cooney of Villisca Iowa. 130th street and A ave. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/22/2023 Calle Vivian Mace of Marysville KS. Highway #71 and 250th Street. Stopped and cited for operation of a non registered vehicle and no proof of insurance.
4/22/2023 Paytan Annabell Hiatt of Clarinda Iowa. Highway #71 and 270th Street. Stopped and cited for operation of a non registered vehicle.
4/24/2023 Erin Lynae Sheldon of Sidney Iowa. Highway #2. Stopped and cited for speed.
4/26/2023 Jane Maxine Liles of Clarinda Iowa. O ave and 190th street. Stopped and cited for striking fixtures on a highway.
4/30/2023 Todd Alec Goertzen of Stanton Iowa. 140th Street and O ave. Cited for failure to stop at a stop sign.
5/1/2023 Jeryn Wyatt Parmer of Hamburg Iowa. Highway #2 and Hackberry. Stopped and cited for speed.
5/1/2023 Mitchell Eugene Kimpston of Riverton Iowa. 140th Street and J ave. Stopped and cited for speed.
5/1/2023 Michael Mathew Kennedy of Dayton Texas. Highway #71. Stopped and cited for speed.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak were called to the 1200 block of E. Summit Street at around 10:47-a.m. Saturday (May 13), for a report of a fight in progress. Following an investigation, officers arrested 36-year-old Cole David Rinehart, of Red Oak, for 3rd Degree Harassment, and Simple Assault. Rinehart was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Fort Dodge, Iowa) – An 18-year-old man from Fort Dodge is in custody, charged with Murder in the 1st Degree, following a shooting this (Saturday) morning, in Ft. Dodge. Police says the Webster County Communications Center received a call at around 2:48-a.m., from someone reporting a person had been shot at the intersection of 10th Avenue and 10th Street Southwest. Officers and a Webster County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to the scene, and found an unresponsive man laying in the roadway.

Officers immediately began given medical care to the individual, and while doing so, radioed-in a description of a suspect vehicle leaving the area. A responding officer saw vehicle a few blocks from the crime scene, and conducted a high-risk traffic stop. Two subjects in the vehicle were detained. Meanwhile, medics transported the unresponsive male found on the road, to Unity Point Trinity Regional Medical Center, where the person was pronounced deceased. The victim was identified as 18-year-old Adrian D. Grover, of Ft. Dodge.

Patrol officers and investigators with the Ft. Dodge Police Department began interviewing witnesses and processing the scene. As a result of their investigation, 18-year-old Quanterious L. Altman, of Fort Dodge, was arrested on the aforementioned felony 1st Degree Murder charge, and a charge of Harassment in the 1st Degree.

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Ft. Police Department, or anonymously, by Crime Stoppers, at 515-573-1444. The Fort Dodge P.D. was assisted by the Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Webster County Attorney’s and Medical Examiner’s Offices, and the Ft. Dodge Fire Department.

(Iowa DNR News/Des Moines, Iowa) ⎯ Several state parks and forests will be hosting family-friendly programming and activities as part of Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) new Summer Kick-Off event, June 9-11. “Summer Kick-Off is our way of showing appreciation for our visitors with activities the entire family can enjoy,” said Sherry Arntzen, chief of Parks, Forests and Preserves Bureau for the Iowa DNR. Planned events include hikes, nature programs, fireside chats, kayaking clinics and more. A list of parks and their programs, activity sheets and ideas for ways to explore parks is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/kickoffsummer.

Those wanting to camp during the Summer Kick-Off celebration are encouraged to make their reservation soon. Iowa has more than 4,400 state park campsites with most reservable in advance. Reservations can be made through the reservation system. “Iowa state parks are beloved overnight destinations for many people,” said Arntzen. “We offer campsites that appeal to a broad range of campers, from the more rustic hike-in sites to those with all the modern amenities.”

For visitors who prefer cabins over tents, the Iowa DNR has more than 90 cabins available to rent across 20 state parks and forests, Arntzen said. In the off season from Labor Day to Memorial Day, cabins can be rented for a two-night minimum stay. During the peak of summer, most cabins require a seven-night minimum visit. As of now, all state parks have water turned on, with shower and restroom buildings open for campers. A few parks do have renovations and closures, so check the park closure page at: www.iowadnr.gov/parkclosures when planning your visit. Visit the DNR’s website to sign up for electronic news updates and information about campsites, cabins, events and more.