(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is among 24 state attorneys general asking a Florida judge let former President Trump speak publicly about the search of his Mar-A-Lago resort. A special prosecutor has asked the judge overseeing the classified documents case against Trump to issue a gag order.

Bird was part of the team that drafted a legal brief that argues the gag order would muzzle political speech.

Bird served as Fremont County Attorney and then as Guthrie County Attorney before being elected as the state’s attorney general in 2022. This is the second time Bird has been one of the leading attorneys general in drafting a brief to oppose a gag order on Trump. The first was related to federal charges that accuse Trump of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird testified at Iowa House Budget Subcommittee hearing. (RI file photo)

In this latest brief, Bird and the other attorneys general says a gag order in the classified documents case would deny Americans the right to hear what Trump has to say about the most heated political issue of the day. The special prosecutor says Trump’s comments on the case have endangered law officers involved in the investigation and threatened the integrity of the proceedings.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has released a report on arrests from over the past four weeks. Most recently:

• On June 19th, 36-year-old Aaron Macias of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Harassment 3rd Degree.
• On June 17th, 33-year-old Dustin Potter, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of Probation; and, 33-year-old Benjamin Barnes of Griswold, was arrested on a warrant for a Sex Offender Registry Violation.
• On June 16th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 46-year-old Angela Logemann of Atlantic, for Simple Assault.  Logemann held pending her later release on her own recognizance.
• On June 13th, 33-year-old Bradley Haley of Clarinda, was arrested in Cass County on a warrant for Failure to Appear.  He was held pending his later release on his own recognizance.
• On June 12th, 41-year-old Zachary Frank of Atlantic, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation, as well as Driving While Barred and Improper Rear Lamps; and, 24-year-old Jackon Sally of Atlantic, was arrested on warrants for Violation of Probation.  He was additionally charged with Sex Abuse 3rd Degree.
• There were two arrests June 10th, in Cass County: 71-year-old Samuel Miller  of Atlantic, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd or subsequent offense.  Miller was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance; and 37-year-old Aaron Shamblen of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving While Barred, OWI 1st Offense and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Shamblen was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.
• June 6th, Cass County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 65-year-old Reggie Martin of Bridgewater, for OWI/1st Offense.  Martin was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.
• On the 4th, 39-year-old Robin Grieshaber of Cumberland, was arrested for Drug Trafficking – Methamphetamine, Driving with No Valid Driver’s License and Interference with Official Acts.  Grieshaber was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release.
• June 3rd, 27-year-old Jacob Johnson of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.  Johnson was booked into the Cass County Jail where he remained until his time was served.
• On the June 2nd, 23-year-old Justin Elimo of Atlantic, was arrested for Public Intoxication.  Elimo was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release on his own recognizance.
• And, on May 30th, 20-year-old Phillip Germann of Anita, was arrested on for OWI/1st Offense and Operating without a Valid Driver’s License.  Germann was transported to the Cass County Jail where he was booked and held pending his later release.

Unless otherwise mentioned, the above listed subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

“All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.”

** Please Note:  The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is now using:  civil@casscoia.us as the preferred email address for any digital civil service processing needs.  Thank you.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two poeple were arrested this week on separate warrants. On Monday, 32-year-old Devon Elizabeth Gbekin, (no known address) was arrested on an Out of County/State Warrant. Gbekin was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

And, on Tuesday, 52-year-old Glen Eugen Gallagher, of  Omaha, was arrested on a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was taken into custody at the Douglas County, NE, Jail and held in the Mills County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

CASS COUNTY, Iowa — A California man was sentenced in Iowa on Tuesday after authorities found a hit list of high-ranking U.S. officials, including the president. According to multiple reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervised release. In December, 2021, Xiong was pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy on Interstate 80 in Cass County, for weaving in and out of traffic.

He told deputies that he was on his way to Washington, D.C., to kill President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Investigators said his “hit list” was based on downloaded videos of individuals on TikTok — that he had over 100 videos featuring Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Mark Zuckerberg. He also told investigators that nothing but this traffic stop would stop him.

Kuachua Brillion Xiong

Firearms, ammunition and body armor were found in the vehicle. Investigators said Xiong had the White House’s address on his GPS and cash set aside in the vehicle — earmarked for his own funeral expenses. He also had a grappling hook authorities say he intended to use to break into the White House.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Thursday) released a report on a special investigation of the Dexter Public Library for the period July 1, 2015 through March 1, 2022. The special investigation was requested by City officials as a result of concerns regarding certain financial transactions processed by the former Library Director, Mary McColloch.

Sand said the special investigation identified:

• $13,589.50 of undeposited collections
• $4,179.59 of improper disbursements, and $3,361.54 of unsupported disbursements.

The report showed the undeposited collections identified includes:

• $5,801.80 of checks issued to the Library which were improperly deposited into the Dexter Community Foundation’s bank account
• $75.00 of checks issued to the Library which were not properly deposited into the City’s bank account;
• $5,212.70 of Library collections for donations and fundraisers which were not properly deposited into the City’s bank account; and
• $2,500.00 of Bayer Ag grant proceeds issued to the Library which were deposited into the Dexter Community Foundation’s bank account.

Sand reported also, the $4,179.59 of improper disbursements identified includes $3,950.01 of improper payroll issued to Ms. McColloch, $188.58 of improper payroll issued to the former Children’s Librarian, and $41.00 of reimbursements issued to Ms. McColloch. The $2,404.57 of unsupported disbursements identified includes $2,302.61 of reimbursements issued to Ms. McColloch and $101.96 of disbursements from the City’s bank account to vendors for the Library. Sand reported it was not possible to determine the propriety of these disbursements because adequate documentation was not maintained to determine if they were for Library operations or personal in nature.

Auditor Sand said it was not possible to determine if additional amounts were improperly disbursed or if additional collections were not properly deposited because adequate documentation was not available. He recommended Library officials implement procedures to ensure the library’s internal controls are strengthened, including segregation of duties, enforcing policies in tracking and collecting revenue generated from library operations, ensuring donations and fundraiser revenue are tracked and deposited, and ensuring library disbursements are properly supported, approved, and paid in a timely manner.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Dallas County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. A copy of the report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Special Interest Reports.

(Radio Iowa) – Eighteen middle school students and a team of chaperones from southwest Iowa are on a ten-day road trip to the East Coast, with most of the time spent in Washington, D-C. Essex Community Schools Superintendent Mike Wells is serving as the main tour guide and says they have a very full schedule ahead.

Wells says he hopes the cross-country trek gives students a sense of history, especially in Washington, while the journey also offers an important lesson in independence.

The students raised thousands of dollars to cover expenses. Essex community development director Tess Nelson coordinated the fundraising efforts, which were many.

The Essex contingent is due back in Iowa on June 29th.