The Mills County Attorney’s Office, Friday night, said a Mills County Jury found 40-year old Christopher Lee Irvin, of Pacific Junction, guilty of felony Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree and Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Irvin had been formally charged on September 10, 2018, with one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, a Class C Felony; one count of Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee, each a Class D Felony; and two counts of Sexual Exploitation by a School Employee, each an Aggravated Misdemeanor.

His trial began Tuesday, May 21st. The jury deliberated for six hours before finding him guilty on one count of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd degree and one count of sexual exploitation. Irvin was immediately taken into custody by members of the Mills County Sheriff’s Office and is being held, without bond, pending a sentencing hearing to be scheduled by order of the Court.

A Class C Felony is punishable by up to ten (10) years in prison. An Aggravated Misdemeanor is punishable by up to two (2) years in prison. Due to the nature of the offenses, Irvin will be required to register as a sex offender and be placed on special parole for the rest of his life.

Mills County Attorney, Naeda Elliott, thanked the Mills County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Investigation; Project Harmony and Phoenix House for their help and dedication “to bring justice to the victim of this atrocity.”

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Friday, vetoed House File 732, an act relating to Iowa’s existing medical cannabidiol program. Governor Reynolds said the following in HF 732’s transmittal letter:

“House File 732 would make a number of changes to expand Iowa’s medical cannabidiol (“CBD”) program. Our program was originally established to provide CBD as a treatment option for Iowans suffering from specific medical conditions. Since our program began, I have heard countless stories of the relief and remarkable improvements that CBD has offered Iowans. And I support our program and efforts to strengthen and improve the program, so that it continues to be a safe, rational, and compassionate medical CBD program.

“Unlike some states, Iowa’s medical CBD program is not a medical marijuana program. To this end, current Iowa law limits the level of tetrahydrocannabinol (“THC”)—the psychoactive chemical in the cannabis plant—in medical CBD products to three percent. But recognizing the limited experience with medical CBD and potential questions surrounding the three percent limit, the Legislature had the foresight to establish a Medical Cannabidiol Board, primarily made up of medical experts.

The Board is tasked with governing our program and advising the Legislature on potential statutory changes to the definition of medical CBD, including the THC limit. The Legislature was wise to understand that we were entering uncharted territory and could benefit from the Board’s expertise in navigating any potential expansion of the program.

“Most of the changes included in House File 732 were the result of the Legislature and the Medical Cannabidiol Board coming together to reach agreement on appropriate and positive improvements to our medical CBD program.  I fully support these changes. But unfortunately, the bill would also remove the three percent limit on THC in medical CBD products and replace it with a limit of 25 grams of THC per 90-day period. This change was not recommended by the Board. And if approved, it would drastically expand Iowa’s medical CBD program far beyond its original scope of CBD-based treatments and could open the door to significant unintended consequences to the health and safety of Iowans.

Reynold said “I agree that there should be some change to the three percent THC limit. There appears to be consensus, including from the Board, that a gram-based limit would be more appropriate than a percentage-based limit. But I have not been unable to discern any evidence-based justification for the specific 25-gram limit proposed in this bill. And after its review of the available evidence, the Board recommended a limit of only 4.5 grams per 90-day period.

She added “It may be that a THC limit higher than 4.5 grams is appropriate. But the 25-gram limit in this bill would allow a person to consume more than 277 milligrams of THC per day—an amount higher than one would typically consume even with aggressive recreational marijuana use. This is all the more concerning because a participant in the program is not prescribed a particular dosage by a medical practitioner or monitored on an ongoing basis for any adverse health consequences. Iowa’s program only requires a practitioner to certify that the participant suffers from a qualifying condition on an annual basis.

According to the Governor, “Ultimately, I believe Iowa must proceed cautiously to ensure that any expansion of our medical CBD program is thoughtful and deliberate—particularly because Iowa’s program is in its infancy and the body of research that analyzes the efficacy of medical CBD is limited. So I look forward to working with the Legislature and the Medical Cannabidiol Board to find an evidence-based THC limit that we can work to enact along with the rest of the provisions in House File 732 that I support. The health and safety of Iowans is too important for us not to get this right.

“For these reasons, I respectfully disapprove of House File 732 in its entirety.” Iowa Department of Public Health Director Gerd Clabaugh said Friday, “I support Governor Reynolds’s veto of House File 732. The medical cannabidiol board was concerned about the amount of THC patients would have been allowed to access if this bill was signed. The Department will continue to look to the Governor, the legislature, and the expertise of the Iowa medical cannabidiol board to provide guidance for ongoing operation of the program.”

Officials with Iowa Senator Joni Ernst’s office report that next Friday, May 31st, the Republican from Red Oak will be making stops in Cass and Harrison Counties as part of her 99 County Tour for 2019. In Cass County, Senator Ernst will speak at the grand opening of Elite Octane in Atlantic (60502 Glacier Road), beginning at Noon.

Next, Senator Ernst will travel to Logan, in Harrison County for a 2:30-p.m. Town Hall meeting at the Logan Community Center (108 West 4th Street). Later, she’ll tour the Mapleton Community Catalyst Project, in Mapleton (at 322 Main Street).

The events in Atlantic and Logan are open to the public. Her office says “Senator Ernst looks forward to hearing from constituents in the area about the issues most important to them,” during the public events.

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers reports the administrative phone lines at Clarinda City Hall & the Clarinda Police Department are not working due to a system outage. It is unknown when phone service will be restored.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation said Friday (Today), that a portion of U.S. 34 west of Interstate 29 that was severely damaged by flood waters in March, reopened to traffic at approximately 3 p.m. today.

The roadway opening provides a valuable link between Mills County, Iowa and Sarpy County, Nebraska. Restoring mobility over the U.S. 34 bridge will give travelers another option to cross between Nebraska and Iowa in addition to Iowa 2, which had been restored in a very limited manner using temporary measures.

Traffic will be able to use both westbound lanes, but eastbound travel will be restricted to one lane.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports 36-year old Rex Dean Peterson II, of Dunbar, Nebraska, was arrested Thursday on a Theft charge in Hamburg. His arrest was the result of a call from a citizen at around 10:19-a.m., about suspicious activity at A and Argyle Street in Hamburg.

Rex Dean Peterson, II

The caller reported that Peterson was in the in possession of pipe and filters from the Manildra Milling Corp, at 100 George Street. The company is located in an area of extensive flooding in Hamburg. The Pipe had a value of over one-thousand dollars.

Peterson was charged with Theft 2^nd was transported to the Fremont County Jail. He posted a $5,000 cash or surety bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Stanton man after a short pursuit of a motorcycle on Thursday. Officers attempted to stop a motorcycle with a male driver in the city limits of Shenandoah and the driver led them on a short pursuit.

The driver eventually pulled into a residence and was apprehended. 18-year-old Cooper Michael Stanley of Stanton received numerous traffic citations and was arrested for Driving While License Suspended or Revoked. Stanley was taken to the Page County Jail and held on $1,000 bond.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by Shenandoah Police Department.

In honor of Memorial Day, Greenfield artist and State Representative Ray “Bubba” Sorensen is repainting a 12-foot tall, approximately 60-ton boulder located just south of I-80 off Highway 25. The rock is being painted this year to pay tribute to our military men and women. Sorensen started painting the original Freedom Rock® the first week of May and plans to be finished by Memorial Day 2019.

2019 Freedom Rock (Courtesy Sorensen Studios)

The front feature side of the Freedom Rock® has a soldier’s cross and ribbon stating, “For Those Who Gave All”, with Soldiers, Sailors and Marines through the ages looking on. The south side will honor the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, the east side honors the sailors killed in the turret explosion 30 years ago on the USS Iowa, and above that Tuskegee Airman Robert Williams, who wrote “Red Tails.” The north side features the only Navy Seabee to be awarded the Medal of Honor, Marvin Shields, with the Seabee logo and a ship named for Shields. And local Veteran Rick Schaecher, who flew many missions on T_33s in Vietnam. And of course, Old Glory waving on top in honor of all who serve.

The helicopter remains as the paint that it is comprised of has been mixed with the ashes of our Vietnam Veterans since 2006. Sorensen said: “I’m so glad I am able to paint a sincere Thank You to those who serve our country and those who’ve given their life in that service, with the support of my family. Having enjoyed our country’s freedom and understanding that it comes with a heavy cost, I hope our Veterans know how much we appreciate them…and that it is conveyed in my artwork.”

Sorensen is not commissioned for his work on the original Freedom Rock® in Menlo, Iowa but works as an independent mural artist on the Iowa Freedom Rock® Tour. Sorensen is only able to complete about ten rocks per year, due to scheduling and weather and is currently booked into the 2021 year. The Freedom Rock® Tour is helped by the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation of Iowa Falls, Iowa, who provide the truck and Aluma Trailers of Bancroft, Iowa, who provide the trailer.

For a list of complete counties booked for the Tour and locations of already existing Freedom Rocks®, visit www.thefreedomrock.com. Although it is Sorensen’s 21st annual year of painting the original Freedom Rock®, this is Sorensen’s seventh year on the Freedom Rock® Tour across Iowa. This also marked the third year since Sorensen began the 50 State Freedom Rock® Tour with rocks already painted in Missouri, Minnesota and Wisconsin. A Freedom Rock® has also been booked for the state of Washington. Sorensen plans to be at The Freedom Rock® over Memorial Day weekend, including Memorial Day to meet with visitors.

Calendars as well as other merchandise are also available to help offset costs for the project. In the fall of 2018, Sorensen was elected to his first term as a State Representative in the Iowa House.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports the ability to call 911 has been restored for Westel phone company customers in the Anita area. The outage was originally reported to have occurred late Thursday morning, and left landlines unable to call 911.

(Radio Iowa) — There appears to be little relief from the rain in the forecast. Crews in Davenport are erecting wider and taller barriers in the same place where a temporary flood wall was breached earlier this month. Parts of SOUTHWEST Iowa were hit with heavy rain overnight Thursday into Friday morning. Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman says rainfall amounts in and around Red Oak vary from four-to-seven inches. “All of our rivers, streams, creeks, tributaries are full,” Hamman says. “Some of them are out.”

Crews started assessing the condition of roads in the county and began putting up barricades on some roads before sunrise. Hamman says the potential for flash flooding remains if there’s more rain. “Obviously, we’ve already got a lot of rain this spring. The ground is saturated, so it’s not a good situation on our already-vulnerable roads,” Hamman says.

In Page County, a flood warning has been issued for the Nodaway River at Clarinda through Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service said the river crested more than two feet above flood stage Friday morning.