(Radio Iowa) – The former city clerk for the small Tama County town of Clutier has been sentenced to nearly two years in federal prison for stealing over 100-thousand dollars in city funds.
Forty-four-year-old Keri Kopriva pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud last fall. She was Clutier’s city clerk for three years before she was fired in February of 2019.

A special investigation by the state auditor’s office found Kopriva paid herself more than was allowed and used the city’s credit card to buy jewelry, clothes, alcohol, and other personal items. Auditors also estimated Kopriva stole 43-thousand dollars worth of cash paid on city utility bills.

The federal judge who sentenced Kopriva has ordered her to pay more than 108-thousand dollars in restitution to the City of Clutier.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office says a woman from Wisconsin was arrested Wednesday afternoon in Illinois, on a Mills County warrant for Theft in the 2nd Degree, and Forgery. 54-year-old Kim Burger Stanton, of Omro, WI, was arrested at the Kankakee, IL, Jail. Her bond was set at $5,000.

And, 41-year-old Rebecca Joy Butowsky, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday morning, for OWI/1st offense. Her bond was set at $1,000.

ALTOONA, Iowa [KCCI] — The Altoona Police Department is investigating after a man from Boone reported his boat missing from Bass Pro Shops in Altoona late last month. Charles Chamblee told KCCI-TV that he dropped off his boat at Bass Pro Shops in Altoona on May 13 to get a motor installed, as well as other additions. Chamblee got the boat from his grandfather in April and brought it back to Iowa. He and his kids were only able to take the boat out once before he dropped it off at Bass Pro Shops in Altoona with the expectation of getting it back.

When he arrived on May 24 —the date he says was agreed on by him and Bass Pro Shops to pick up his boat — he was shocked to learn his boat wasn’t there.

According to Chamblee, employees and managers at the store told him they searched throughout the property and did not find the boat. Chamblee says he spoke with multiple supervisors and managers in the store, only to be told the following. Chamblee says Bass Pro Shops called Altoona Police on May 24 when he arrived at the store. He also called the police department. Chamblee says in addition to the boat’s camouflaged paint job, people can be on the lookout for the left LED tail light on the trailer, which he says is out.

The Altoona Police Department say they are investigating the incident. Anyone who has information on the theft is asked to contact the police department.

MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa [KCCI] — A reward is now being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a suspect in a deadly shooting at a Marshalltown bar last weekend. In a criminal complaint, authorities say 18-year-old Victor Delgadillo, of Marshalltown, is suspected in Saturday’s shooting at Center Street Station Bar that left one person dead. Police say he is believed to be armed and dangerous. Marshall County Crime Stoppers is now offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to Delgadillo’s apprehension. Tipsters are asked to call Crime Stoppers at 641-753-1234.

The criminal complaint alleges Delgadillo threw a cup on the ground and was confronted by another person to pick it up. An argument began and Delgadillo pushed two people, according to the complaint. Delgadillo then showed a firearm, according to court documents, and fired multiple shots at Ramon Alexis Feliciano Nieves, 41. Nieves died from his injuries.

Victor Delgadillo

Delgadillo is charged with first-degree murder. Police ask that anyone with information on his whereabouts call 911 or contact Marshalltown police at 641-754-5725.

(Creston, Iowa) – A collision Wednesday afternoon in Creston caused an estimated total of $13,000 damage, but no one was hurt. According to the Creston Police Department, 41-year-old Melvin E. Leathers, of Creston, was driving a 2017 Chevy Tahoe northbound on Sumner Avenue at around 4:30-p.m. He signaled, and was slowing to turn left at the intersection with Russell Street, when his vehicle was hit from behind by a 2022 Chevy pickup truck driven by 62-year-old Jeffery L. McKinney, of Kent (IA).

The Police report said McKinney was not paying attention prior to the collision taking place. The pickup was disabled in the crash and towed away. The Tahoe was driven away from the scene. No citations were issued.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says two men were arrested on separate charges Wednesday evening. A little before 8-p.m., 33-year-old Quinton Lee Kimball, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston Motel (301 W. Adams St.), for Violation of Parole. Kimball was being held in the Union County Jail.

And, at around 6-p.m., Wednesday, Creston Police arrested 39-year-old Kevin Wayne Rauch, of Creston, at the Greater Regional Health Center (1700 W. Townline St.), for Assault on persons in Certain Occupations, with the intent to cause injury. Rauch was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 bond.

(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) [updated 11:15-a.m.] – A call about multiple persons injured at a home in rural Marion, Wednesday afternoon, resulted in the arrest of a man on Attempted Murder and other charges. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says when emergency personnel arrived at the scene, they found four adult victims with severe injuries. Three of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. One adult was flown to an area hospital for treatment of what were believed to be life-threatening injuries.

According to the sheriff’s office, the three victims who died have been identified as:

• Romondus Lamar Cooper, 44, of Cedar Rapids
• Keonna Victoria Ryan, 26, of Cedar Rapids
• Amanda Sue Parker, 33, of Vinton

Additionally, Brent Anthony Brown, 34, of Marion, is in critical condition. An investigation indicated the victims sustained blunt force trauma injuries to the head, delivered by a metal pipe. Officials say a possible motive was the possibility of the crime being made into a movie. 34-year-old Luke Truesdell, of Marion, was arrested and charged with one-count of Attempted Murder, with additional charges pending.

No additional arrests are expected.

(Radio Iowa) – Family and friends of a 43-year-old Webster City man who died in a group home offered emotional victim impact statements on Wednesday, before his caretaker was sentenced in the death. Pamara Garcia was an employee of the One Vision group home when she took care of Nicholas Brendan Seamonds. Seamonds was born with cerebral palsy died after being scalded in a shower on December 20, 2022.

Yesterday (Wednesday), Garcia was sentenced in Hamilton County District Court to 365 days in jail with credit for time served, which translates to a 180-day sentence. Garcia was also given a two-year probation and will be faced with a restitution requirement at a later date to be announced. Garcia pleaded guilty to a charge of wanton neglect of a dependent adult by a caretaker, the charge is a serious misdemeanor.

Garcia was arrested on September 19, 2023. The original charge she faced was neglect or abandonment of a dependent person, a class C felony.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture says preliminary testing has found a case of Avian Influenza in a dairy herd in O’Brien County. Final testing is pending at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames. This is Iowa’s first reported case of Avian Influenza within a dairy. There have been 80 confirmed dairy cases in eight other states.

The Iowa Ag Department says it will soon be announcing additional response measures. Diary cows appear to recover from the disease, while birds who are infected have to be destroyed.

(Radio Iowa) – The eastern Iowa facility honoring the only American president who was born in Iowa will close for all of next year and likely into 2026 for what’s billed as a full remodel and renovation. Aaron Scheinblum, spokesman for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch, says the 20-million dollar make-over is scheduled to start early in 2025 and will take at least a year.”Twelve to 15 months is a good way to look at it,” Scheinblum says, “so that’s a really long time for us to have our doors closed, but when you look at it in the perspective of, we really haven’t had a museum renovation or museum remodel since the early 1990s.”

The museum’s current exhibits tell Hoover’s story — from his birth, to his life as an engineer, Secretary of Commerce, the 31st President of the United States, and his continued humanitarian work after leaving the White House. The re-invisioned museum will tell those same stories, but with more artifacts and sophisticated, user-friendly technology. Scheinblum says it’ll take time to make such dramatic and extensive changes to the museum, which opened in 1962. “For us to be able to essentially gut the galleries, start from scratch, add space and do something completely different,” he says, “that’s kind of our goal, to be able to tell the Hoover story in a completely redesigned way that will appeal to all generations.” It’s unclear just when the West Branch facility will be shutting down for the major renovation.

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum

“Around January is how I would describe it. The exact date is still uncertain, and we’re hoping to iron out those details as construction is officially finalized,” Scheinblum says, “but ultimately, Quarter One is really as early as possible for what we’re looking to try to accomplish for that project.” The current layout of the museum is focused, appropriately, on Hoover’s life before, during, and after his time in office, but Scheinblum says the new edition will elevate the status of the First Lady, also showing her accomplished life prior to meeting the future president. “Being able to really watch how their timelines intersect, and then continue for the rest of their lives,” he says. “It’s meant to be very immersive. It’s meant to be an experience that allows you to touch things, that allows you to see things in a completely different way, really put yourself in these moments in time and understand history in a way that otherwise hasn’t been told here.”

For the remainder of this year, the library and museum will be open every day, with the only exceptions being Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.