OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An arctic cold front that descended upon eastern Nebraska and most of Iowa may have claimed an elderly victim. Omaha police say officers found the body of an 80-year-old man a little before 5:40 a.m. Thursday in a street not far from an assisted living center where he lived. He’s been identified as Robert Freymuller. Police say he was not dressed appropriately for the cold.

The National Weather Service says the wind chill had dropped to minus 26 degrees at that time.  Many schools, businesses and organizations remained closed or opened late because of the frigid air blast.

An Iowa State Patrol Trooper responding to a report of a jack-knifed semi suffered moderately severe injuries when she was struck by a semi Wednesday evening, in eastern Iowa. The Patrol says Trooper Gentry Johannes was transported to a local hospital after she was struck when a second semi hit the jack-knifed rig on I-80, near Newton. Authorities say the roads were 100% ice covered at the time of the collision. Additional details are currently not available.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A 19-year-old driver was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for a fatal collision that occurred while he was fleeing police in Davenport. Scott County District Court records say Angel Ochoa had pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide by reckless driving and two others crimes. Prosecutors dropped another charge in return. The chase began June 13, when a police officer tried to stop Ochoa’s car and a chase ensued. Investigators say Ochoa’s car reached speeds of up to 90 mph and ran through several red lights before broadsiding a car, killing 48-year-old Lori Ann Letts.

WATERLOO, Iowa (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier) — A former Waterloo teacher accused of stealing money from the teachers union has pleaded guilty. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Anthony Dehl entered the plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The charge: wire fraud. It carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. His sentencing date has not yet been set. Prosecutors say Dehl took more than $54,000 from the union’s accounts over about five years, when he was the union’s treasurer. Authorities say he spent some of it on gambling. Dehl retired from Waterloo Community Schools last year after more than 30 years in the profession.

Cass County Attorney Vanessa Strazdas today (Thursday), said charges have been filed against an Anita woman, 36-year old Alison E. Dorsey, for causing the death of an 11 week old newborn, identified only as “L.H.” Strazdas said the child suffered from internal bleeding resulting in brain death, while in the sole care and custody of Dorsey at her daycare on October 7, 2019.

L.H. died on October 8, 2019.  Medical evidence revealed the injuries causing death were inflicted and non-accidental, commonly called shaken baby syndrome.  Onset of brain hemorrhaging would have been immediate. Strazdas told KJAN News Dorsey was arrested this (Thursday) morning on a Class-A Felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, which carries a Life term in prison, and a Special Class-B Felony charge of Child Endangerment resulting in the death of a child. The maximum she would serve if convicted on that charge is 50 years in prison.

Dorsey was being held in the Cass County Jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond. Her initial appearance is set to take place by Friday. (See the Criminal Complaints filed in her arrest here – 04151__FECR016406_CRCM_242055  and 04151__FECR016406_CRCM_242054

Des Moines – Officials with the Iowa Division of Insurance report John A. McAfee of Hannibal, Missouri, and McAfee & Associates were recently ordered by the Iowa Insurance Division to cease and desist from creating or purchasing and sending certain mailers or envelopes to Iowa residents or Iowa locations as stated in the enforcement order. McAfee and McAfee & Associates are now subject to a one year monitoring period and are also ordered to pay a total of $10,000 in civil penalties and $1,800.00 in costs of investigation.

McAfee, the owner and registered agent of McAfee & Associates, sent mailers to Iowa consumers that were deceptive, misleading, and created a false impression that the mailers were sent by the government. The mailers were sent for the purpose of generating marketing leads for life insurance, even though that information was not disclosed on the mailers. Chance McElhaney, Iowa Insurance Division spokesman said “We encourage Iowa consumers to reach out to our office if something seems misleading. Scammers will use a variety of tactics to be deceptive in order to take advantage of folks.”

McAfee & Associates were previously barred on February 4, 2019 from sending mailers to Iowa residents or any location in Iowa that “create a false impression that the mailer is sent from any government entity or department” and ordered to pay $5,000 to the Iowa Attorney General to be deposited in the Consumer Education and Litigation Fund.

Iowans are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division if they need assistance.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa D-N-R reports a drop in the number of deer taken by hunters this year. D-N-R Wildlife Biologist, Tyler Harms, says the drop coincides with a drop in the number of hunters. “We saw about a three percent drop in license sales and about a 14 percent drop in the deer harvest statewide this year,” Harms says. The deer taken dropped to 94-thousand — compared to nearly 108-thousand the year before. Harms says an outbreak of disease is likely behind the drop in license sales. “We had a significant outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease across the state. And that could’ve resulted in lower numbers of deer out on the landscape — and ultimately resulting in lower harvest,” Harms says. “We do know after an outbreak that we had in 2012 and 2013 we had similar trends in terms of license sales and harvest. So in other words — when we see these big E-H-D outbreaks statewide — we would expect to see a slight drop in both license sales and harvest.”

Harms says some hunters want to help the deer recover from such outbreaks. “Our hunters are conservationists, and so when they perceive that there’s a threat to the deer population, if they are seeing fewer deer, they are going to make decisions to not harvest deer. To not put additional pressure on the deer population,” Harms says. He expects future deer season will return to harvests of 100-thousand or more. Harms says the disease outbreaks cause some concern, but they monitor the deer population closely. “Both at local scales and also statewide. And we would anticipate, given what we know about the deer population status in Iowa currently, that the deer population would recover back to goal levels,” Harms says.

The state also reported the most positive tests for Chronic Wasting Disease this season since it started the testing. Harms says that is also a concern. “What we’re trying to do is gather more information on where the disease is and what the prevalence of the disease is in certain areas,” Harms says. “And then that helps us make a decision on how we are going monitor and manage the deer population moving forward to try and reduce disease spread and disease prevalence.” Harms says hunters have been very helpful in trying to manage the spread of C-W-D. He says they can continue to do that by following some simple steps. “Like refraining from putting mineral licks or bait piles out for deer — because that artificially congregates the deer with contributes to the spread. And then also minimizing carcass transport,” Harms says.

He says transporting the carcasses of deer that are infected can spread the disease.

A Wyoming man being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail, was charged Wednesday with bringing contraband into the jail. 33-year old Aaron Russell Schucker, of Lander, WY., remains in the jail on a $1,000 bond for the contraband charge, and a total of $5,300 on previous drug and drug paraphernalia charges.  And, an investigation into the alleged assault of a 17-year old male in Neola, resulted in the arrest of 36-year old Sean Michael  Moore. He faces a charge of Assault – Causing Serious Bodily Injury (without intent).

Firefighters from Minden, Neola and Underwood responded at around 3-p.m. Wednesday, to a report of a semi on fire on Interstate 80, just south of the I-80/I-880 split, in Pottawattamie County. According to the Minden Fire Department’s Facebook page, units enroute to the scene advised they could see heavy smoke from miles away. Strong winds and the trailers’ content made the fire difficult to fight. No injuries were reported. It’s not clear what caused the blaze, which completely destroyed the semi tractor & trailer.

Photos via the Minden Fire & Rescue Dept. Facebook page.

Minden Fire officials said they very much appreciated all the efforts of the Iowa Department of Transportation in keeping the interstate closed down for an extended period of time, which allowed crews space to fight this blaze and clean-up the scene.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man suspected of killing two women at his northeast Iowa home has been arrested in Illinois. Matthew Buford III was found in Peoria, Illinois, and arrested late Wednesday night on warrants listing two counts of first-degree murder in Iowa’s Black Hawk County. Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him. He’s accused of killing 42-year-old Tamica Allison and 41-year-old Andrea Anderson. Police say Allison lived in the home with Buford, and Anderson was visiting. Officers and medics who were called to the home around 11:20 p.m. Monday found the two bodies.