A Des Moines man was sentenced Wednesday, September 6, 2023, to six years in prison following his guilty plea to receipt of child pornography.

According to court documents, over the course of several months in 2022, 55 year old Matthew John Marcalus used Instagram to communicate with a fifteen-year-old child. During these conversations, Marcalus engaged in sexually explicit chats, and solicited and received photos of the child engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Marcalus also sent the child photos of Marcalus’s genitals. Eventually, law enforcement became involved and communicated with Marcalus while posing as the fifteen-year-old child. Officers arrested Marcalus when he arrived at a location to meet the child.

Following his prison term, Marcalus must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement.

The Ankeny Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Leemkuil prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Iowa is known as the king of corn but lately, there also appears to be a bumper crop of acorns. Anyone who’s taken a walk near oak trees has crunched across many hundreds of the dime-sized seeds with the cute caps. Mike Reinikainen (rain-ee-KY-nen) is a silviculturist (SILL-vah-culturalist), or an expert forester, and he says that abundance of acorns is called “oak masting” and it’s a cycle of nature.

Iowa’s been weathering a drought for several years and we’ve seen a slew of hundred-degree records set in recent weeks. Reinikainen says that’s all playing a role in the oak masting as fall approaches.

Iowa homeowners with oaks on their property don’t need to be concerned. Reinikainen says there is -no- evidence to suggest acorns damage your lawn by changing the p-H balance of the soil, but most people rake them up as a matter of comfort for bare feet or because they’re unsightly.

Red Oak Police report that on Friday, September 8th at about 9:00 am officer conducted a traffic stop in the 100 block of North 2nd Street.  After investigating, officers arrested 39 year old Ryan Nelson for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving under Suspension.  Nelson was held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

This Sunday is World Suicide Prevention Day and Iowa health officials are working to raise awareness about the free, confidential, round-the-clock help that’s available through the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Julie Maas (MOSS), Iowa’s 9-8-8 project director, says they’re focusing not just on the state’s larger cities, but also remote areas.

The Lifeline was launched in July of last year and has since had contacts with more than 40-thousand people across Iowa, most of them through phone calls but some via text or chat.

Suicide is the ninth leading cause of death in Iowa, but it’s number-two for those between the ages of ten and 35. Roughly one in five people who reach out to the Lifeline in Iowa are considering taking their own lives. The rest may be experiencing some sort of crisis, which can range from having a car that won’t start to being diagnosed with cancer.

A report released in May from Trust for America’s Health shows 549 Iowans died by suicide in 2021, which is a drop of three-percent from the year before.

Creston Police arrested Jaden Justus Loe Thursday afternoon on a Union County warrant for Going Armed with Intent, Reckless Use of a Firearm with Property Damage and Criminal Mischief on the second degree.  Police report the charges stem from an incident in Creston on June 14, 2023 where several rounds were fired at a residence in Creston.  Several spent shell casings were recovered from the scene and sent to the Division of Criminal Investigation lab to be analyzed.

Police say additional arrests are pending as a result of this incident.

Also, in an unrelated incident Thursday, police arrested 42 year old David Junior Richman of 305 North Elm Street in Creston at his residence.  Richman was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Richman was cited and released on a promise to appear.

If you travel on U.S. 30 near Woodbine in Harrison County you need to be aware of a bridge replacement project that may slow down your trip beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 3 through Tuesday, Oct. 24, weather permitting.

While construction crews work on this project, you will be detoured around the work zone using Iowa 37, Iowa 191, and Harrison County Road F-32.

Help keep everyone on the road safer. Drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, you should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.