DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 66-year-old James Scott Hoffman, who was convicted of Robbery 2nd Degree and other charges in Polk County, failed to report back to the Fort Des Moines Residential Facility as required Friday evening.

Hoffman is a white male. He stands 5-feet 10-inches tall and weighs 197 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on May 12, 2023.

Persons with information on Hoffman’s whereabouts should contact local police.

James Hoffman (IDOC photo)

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater today (Monday), reported on numerous arrests that took place from June 25th through the 30th:

At around 9:15-a.m. Friday (June 30), Adair County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 30-year-old Cody Allen Pipkin, of Stuart, at the Adair County Courthouse. Pipkin was wanted on an Adair County warrant for Failure to Appear at a Jan. 9, 2023 Compliance Hearing. He was released a couple of hours later on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

On June 29th, 49-year-old Manishkumar Baldevbha Chaudhri, of Ogallala, NE., was arrested by Adair Police on eastbound Interstate 80 in Adair County, at around 11:24-p.m., following a report of a impaired or tired driver, and their vehicle having no lights on. Following a traffic stop and investigation, Chaudhri was charged with OWI/1st offense. His BAC ultimately registered .189, or more than double the legal limit for intoxication in the State of Iowa. The man was released the next day on a $1,000 c/s bond.

Also arrested on June 29th, was 56-year-old James Dean Johnston, of Des Moines. He was taken into custody at around 7:05-p.m. by Stuart Police, following a complaint received by the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, about a vehicle traveling south on the Stuart Road, and being “all over the road.” A Stuart Police Officer – Daniel Irving – observed the suspect vehicle, a Toyota Sienna, as it was traveling north past his location at the intersection of SE 14th and Division Street, in Stuart. Officer Irving saw the vehicle leave the road and drive onto the shoulder. Johnston told the Officer he was “really tired,” and apologized for his driving.

While speaking with Johnston, the Office noticed a glass pipe with a yellow straw, and what appeared to be a white residue inside. The object was swabbed and tested positive for methamphetamine. A Probable Cause search of the vehicle was conducted. Johnston asked the Officer to help him put his boot back on as he stood by the Officer’s patrol vehicle. Officer Irving observed a cigarette pack shoved partially inside Johnston’s sock, with the top halfway open. When the Officer removed the pack, he saw a baggie with a green leafy substance, which was confirmed to be marijuana. Johnston was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS)/3rd or Subsequent Offense. He was released the following day on a $2,000 c/s bond.

On June 28th, Adair Police arrested 36-year-old Corey Shane Foshee, of Colorado Springs, CO., for PCS/Marijuana -1 st offense. He was arrested at around 7:54-p.m. following a traffic stop just before entering I-80 at the 78-mile marker, in Adair, on a vehicle with expired Colorado license tags. During an investigation, Foshee opened his glove box to retrieve his license and registration. That’s when Officer Sawyer Ocheltree observed a large Zip Lock bag that later tested positive for marijuana. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a bong, and another, small container of marijuana in the glove box. Foshee was transported to the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and cited for PCS, before being released from custody.

On June 25th, 56-year-old Douglas Jerome Jones, Jr., of Des Moines, was arrested for Driving While Barred, following a traffic stop by the Iowa State Patrol, for Speeding on the Stuart Road. Jones was released on the 27th, on a $1,000 c/s bond, w/10% acceptable.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater, today (July 3rd), reports that on Monday June 26, 2023 at approximately 3:30 p.m., Union County notified the Adair County Communications Center that the Creston Police Department was in pursuit of a vehicle that was approaching the Adair County line northwest of Williamson. The pursued vehicle, a red 2003 Ford F-150 pickup, entered Adair County. Approximately two miles after entering Adair County, the driver of the pickup lost control and entered the ditch in the area of 320th Street and Gibbon Avenue, with the driver then fleeing on foot.

Multiple agencies attempted to locate the driver of the F150, to include the utilization of a drone and a K9, but all methods proved unsuccessful. A little after 10:45-p.m., June 26th, the Adair County Sheriff’s Office began to receive reports of a male subject matching the description of the suspect driver in the area of a couple rural residences north of Williamson in Adair County. Adair County deputies responded. Another call was received from a specific residence where it was reported that the suspect was knocking on their door. The deputies pulled into the driveway of the residence on Fontanelle Road. The suspect once again fled on foot, but was apprehended by deputies a short distance later.

The suspect was identified as 20-year-old Isaiah J. Lovell, of Creston. Lovell had an active “No Bond” warrant for his arrest issued out of Polk County for Escape. Charges related to the pursuit are pending. Lovell was released from custody the following day. Agencies assisting in the search for the suspect at the conclusion of the vehicle pursuit were: Creston Police Department; Afton Police Department; Union County Sheriff’s Office; Adams County Sheriff’s Office; Cass County Sheriff’s Office; and Iowa State Patrol.

It should be noted that a criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Radio Iowa) – A man who discovered his biological father’s name through D-N-A testing has inspired a new process for adding a parent’s name to an Iowa birth certificate. A new state law will let adults apply for a birth certificate that includes the name of a biological parent if that name was omitted from the original document. During House debate this spring, Representative Brian Lohse, of Bondurant, explained a former Iowan who was adopted found a brother in Iowa through a D-N-A testing app.

“Also through that testing he found his biological father,” Lohse says. “The law we passed a couple of years ago allows an adopted person to obtain a copy of their original birth certificate. When he did that, he discovered the only name on the birth certificate was the name of his biological mother. This bill was introduced to give him and others like him the ability to add that missing information onto their original birth certificate.”

Senator David Rowley, of Spirit Lake, discussed the bill on the Senate floor just before it passed unanimously this spring. “We live in a time where we can discover through DNA samples our heritage, our ancestry, our countries of origin…Through this process there are adopted adult children that have discovered their biological parents and rekindled close relationships with that parent,” Rowley says. “Through this process with all parties in agreement, the adopted child, now an adult ,will have this document, a reestablished birth certificate, as proof of their biological parent-child relationship for generations to come.”

According to the C-E-O of Ancestry — one of the companies that sells D-N-A test kits — about 30 million people around the world have taken a D-N-A test.

(Clarinda, Iowa) – Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer, today (Monday), reported five arrests that occurred between June 16th and the 22nd….

On June 22nd, 30-year-old Travis Lee Kephart, of Westboro, MO., was arrested in Fremont County on an active warrant for Failure to Maintain Control, No proof of Insurance, and having No valid driver’s license. His cash bond was set at $300; 43-year-old Jason Michel Mohr, of Urbandale, was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office June 22nd, on an active warrant for four-counts of Theft in the 5th Degree. His cash/surety bond was set at $300; and, 52-year-old Christine Marie Shipley, of Clarinda, was arrested on the 22nd, on an active warrant for Failure to Appear (in court) on an initial, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, charge. Her cash/surety bond was set at $3000, w/10% to the court.

On June 18th, a 17-year-old from rural Red Oak was arrested at the Page County Sheriff’s Office for Burglary in the 3rd Degree, and for being an ineligible person carrying a weapon.

And, on June 16th, 43-year-old Jayson Daniel Hickle, of Coin, was arrested in Coin for Domestic Abuse Assault. Hickle was being held without bond until seen by a Magistrate.

Sheriff Palmer reports also, an accident occurred June 16th, at Highway 2 and Juniper Avenue. The crash occurred when 1994 Mack semi truck driven by Andrew Richard Majors, of Honey Creek, was traveling north on Highway 2. The report says he noticed something on the road and swerved to avoid striking the unknown object. The semi’s trailer went into the ditch and overturned, spilling its load of wet distiller’s grain into the ditch. Juniper Ave. was closed for a while so the mess could be cleaned-up.

(Radio Iowa) – Police are investigating the Sunday night shooting of a man in Webster City. Pat Powers reports.

(Moravia, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a mechanical malfunction likely led to a boat motor explosion injuring five at Lake Rathbun on Sunday, July 2, 2023.

The boat engine exploded during start-up at the Buck Creek Arm of Lake Rathbun around 3:00 PM on Sunday. One adult female received moderate to severe burns and was evacuated by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospital. An adult male and three juveniles were taken to Mercy One in Centerville by ambulance for minor burn-related wounds.

During this busy holiday weekend, the DNR encourages boaters to keep safety in mind by wearing life jackets, designating a sober operator, and having a fire extinguisher on board.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A has given two California companies the go ahead to begin selling chicken that’s grown from animal cells in a lab, but it will be a while before what’s called cultivated chicken lands in Iowa grocery stores. Chad Hart, an economist with Iowa State University Extension, suggests there are some headwinds for the product. “This is an alternative that some may wish to pursue that’s going to be substantially higher cost for quite some time,” Hart says, “and may not have as big an audience as some folks think.”

Hart points to what’s happened with plant-based products marketed as meatless meat. Products like “Beyond Meat” were introduced in 2019, but data recently released by the Plant Based Foods Association shows meatless meat sales in U-S grocery stores declined by one percent in 2022, after zero growth in 2021. “You know, the Impossible Burger is not as hot as it once was,” Hart says. “It does have an audience. It does have a core group that are looking for it, but for the most part those that want to eat meat find the meat that they’ve traditionally ate.”

Hart made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Police in Glenwood report the arrest on Saturday, of a woman from Nebraska. 48-year-old Maria Cortinas, of Auburn (NE), was arrested for Public Intoxication and Disorderly Conduct. She was released on a $600 cash or surety bond.

(Creston, Iowa) – An accident Friday afternoon in Creston resulted in injuries to a man on a motorcycle. The Creston Police Department reports 38-year-old Cody Lee Witt, of Creston, was riding a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle westbound on Howard Street, with no traffic controls present. A 2002 Hyundai Sante Fe SUV driven by 19-year-old Philip M. Davis, of Creston, was traveling north on Pine Street, which is controlled at the intersection by a stop at sign.

Davis stopped and failed to yield to Witt’s motorcycle. He told Police he didn’t see the motorcycle before proceeding into the intersection. Witt laid his bike down on its side in order to avoid colliding with the SUV. Witt suffered from “road rash,” and was transported by Medic 1 to the hospital in Creston. His cycle sustained about $1,500 damage.

No citations were issued.