Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Charles Grassley says farmers were “screwed” by the Trump administration’s decision to allow some refineries to not blend ethanol with gasoline as required under federal law. During a taping of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program Friday, Grassley was asked his thoughts on 31 refinery exemptions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued for 2018. He responded: “They screwed us.” President Donald Trump has promised farmers he would support ethanol production.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A judge has sentenced the mastermind of the largest organic fraud scheme in U.S. history to 10 years in prison, saying he cheated thousands of customers into buying products they didn’t want. U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams says Randy Constant was responsible for a massive fraud that did “extreme and incalculable damage” to consumers and shook public confidence in the nation’s organic food industry.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A grand jury has found no criminal wrongdoing by a Union Pacific railroad officer for the November shooting of a Mason City man. Cerro Gordo County Attorney Carlyle Dalen tells the Globe Gazette that the grand jury opted not to indict Union Pacific Special Agent Louis Miner after convening this week. State investigators say Miner stopped Nathan Lee Olson for trespassing on UP property on Nov. 29 and an altercation ensued before Miner shot Olson near a railroad crossing in Mason City.

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) — A grand jury has cleared a South Sioux City police officer of any criminal wrongdoing in a shootout that left the officer wounded and the suspect dead. Sioux City, Iowa, television station KCAU reports that the grand jury made the finding Friday. Investigators say Luis Quinones Rosa fired first at Officer Brian Van Berkum outside a bar, hitting the officer twice. Police say Van Berkum returned fire, fatally wounding Rosa.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Congressman Steve King has taken to twitter to lash out at critics of his recent comments on abortion — and he’s sending fundraising email about the uproar. King backs an abortion ban that does NOT include exceptions for rape and incest. On Wednesday, King mused out loud at that given the pillaging of centuries past, there might not be any population of the world left if all the products of rape and incest were removed from family trees.

Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says the party platform opposes all abortion and aligns with King’s policy position, but King’s line of reasoning was offensive. “It’s the implications and how he put that,” Kaufmann said, “in terms of where our populations come from.” Four other Republicans have announced they plan to challenge King in next year’s primary.

The Iowa G-O-P’s chairman says the party is neutral in the primary – and it’s up to voters in the fourth congressional district to decide. “It is not up to the chair of the party to determine who should or shouldn’t be in congress,” Kaufmann said. “The fourth district is going to determine what they think of the congressman and what they don’t think of the congressman.”

Liz Cheney, the top-ranking woman among Republicans in the U.S. House, called on King to resign this week. King, on Twitter is demanding on apology from Cheney. King has also tweeted at several of the Democratic presidential candidates who condemned his remarks.

King accused Cory Booker of supporting the “killing of little black babies” and King tweeted at Joe Biden, saying: “Don’t look now, but Elizabeth Warren just passed you up in Iowa.”

(Update 12/20/19 – Red Oak man has been acquitted following a jury trial this week. Court records indicate a jury found 41-year-old Matthew Walter Riley not guilty of second-degree burglary and assault with intent to commit sexual assault. following a two-day trial. Riley was released from custody following the trial.)

Original story:

Police in Red Oak report 41-year old Matthew Walter Riley, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 3:17-p.m. Friday, on a valid Red Oak P-D Class-C Felony warrant for Forcible Sexual Assault in the 3rd Degree. Riley was also arrested on a Class-C Felony warrant for Burglary in the 2nd Degree, and Assault with the intent to commit sexual abuse, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Matthew Walter Riley

The Forcible Sexual Assault charge was the result of a lengthy investigation into an incident that allegedly took place in August, 2018. The Burglary and Assault with intent to commit sexual charges are also the result of a case that dates back to August 2018, involving a different time and victim.

Riley was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted in the investigation and arrest.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — Police in the eastern Iowa city of Manchester are investigating the vandalism of a cemetery there. Television station KCRG reports that nearly 30 headstones were found damaged or broken in Oakland Cemetery in Manchester.

Police say in a post on the department’s Facebook page that they suspect the vandalism was carried out Thursday night. In all, 29 headstones were damaged.
No arrests have been reported. Anyone with information on the vandalism is asked to call police.

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha police helicopter has crashed at Blair Airport, where it’s based. Omaha Deputy Police Chief Kerry Neumann says two pilots on board suffered minor injuries, but they were taken to a hospital to be checked. They were identified as Matt Baughman and Brian Yaghoutfam. The crash cause is being investigated.

The heavily damaged aircraft ended up lying on one side, its tail rotor missing, on a stretch of concrete. The crash leaves the Omaha force with but one helicopter to deploy. Police moved the two helicopters to the Blair Airport last month.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate climbed slightly in July to 2.5% but remains among the lowest in the nation. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the unemployment rate rose from 2.4% in June. The rate had been stuck at that level since July 2018. Although the unemployment rate increased, the number of residents with jobs also rose by about 4,000 compared to June. The number of unemployed residents increased by about 1,400.

Iowa’s unemployment rate was third-lowest in the nation, behind Vermont and North Dakota and tied with New Hampshire. The national unemployment rate in July was 3.7%.

DES MOINES, IA – Democrat Presidential candidate John Delaney will campaign in Iowa from the 20th to the 21st of August. Candidate Delaney will be meeting with Audubon County Democrats in Exira on Tuesday, August 20th, for a “Picnic & Policy” session. The picnic is open to the public. His schedule calls for him to hold the event from 5-until 6-p.m., at Legion Park, in Exira (199 S. Florence St.).

Later that same evening Candidate Delaney will meet with Cass County Democrats at their monthly meeting in the basement of the Cass County Courthouse. The event runs from 7-until 8-p.m., and is also open to the public.

The Atlantic Police Department reports four, recent arrests. On Monday (Aug. 12th), 29-year old Norrin Bishop, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on Cass County warrants for Prostitution, and Pandering for Prostitution. On Aug. 9th, 42-year old James Almudarris, of Winnetka, CA., was arrested for Theft in the 4th degree (Shoplifting), stemming from an incident on Aug. 1st, Theft in the 5th degree (Shoplifting), and Operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent. That same day, 55-year old Veronica Perez, of Lancaster, CA., was arrested for Operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

And, on August 8th, 43-year old Eric Grayling, of West Salem, IL., was arrested for OWI. All four subjects were booked into the Cass County Jail.

(UPDATE 12:30-p.m): Adventureland has re-opened) ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — The search for a robber has caused officials to delay the opening of a suburban Des Moines amusement park and evacuate a nearby hotel. Altoona police say the robber was armed but didn’t fire any shots as he held up Spectators Sports Bar & Grill around 7:35 a.m. Friday. Officers evacuated the bar and the Adventureland Inn to conduct a room-to-room search. Hotel guests were allowed back into their rooms about two hours later.

No arrests have been reported. Adventureland delayed its opening but was expected to resume normal operations by early this afternoon at the latest.