SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for fondling a 14-year-old girl last year. The Sioux City Journal reports 27-year-old Federico Jimenez-Hernandez was sentenced Thursday after he pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to one count of third-degree sexual abuse.

Jimenez-Hernandez must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will also remain on lifetime parole. If he were to violate terms of the special sentence, he could be returned to prison. His sentence will be served at the same time as a three-year federal prison sentence for selling methamphetamine.

Court documents say Jimenez-Hernandez fondled the girl after entering her room while she was sleeping.

A Council Bluffs man who glanced down at his cell phone ended-up in a crash Saturday morning. According to Bluffs Police, 27-year old Ryan Wendt was traveling south on 25th Street at around 11-a.m., Saturday, when he became distracted by his cell phone. When he looked up, Wendt swerved to miss a vehicle in traffic and his vehicle hit a utility pole in the 1000 block of 25th Street. The pole was sheared-off, but still upright, with all the lines still intact.

Wendt initially refused medical treatment at the scene, but was later transported to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. Police cited him for failure to maintain control of his motor vehicle. Traffic flow in the area was rerouted for two hours while the utility pole was rendered safe by MidAmerican Energy.

Authorities remind you: Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting or dialing on your phone. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded. Don’t be a distracted driver!

w/ Chris Parks

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The Red Oak Police department released details on multiple arrests on Friday night.

At 4:00pm officers arrested 38-year-old Anthony Anderson of Villisca for Trespassing onto a property in the 600 block of East Joy Street in Red Oak. Anderson was arrested in the 1200 block of North 6th Street in Red Oak and was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $300 cash bond.

Also around 4:00pm Officers with Red Oak Police arrested 33-year-old Joseph Aaron Nelson of Red Oak for 5th Degree Criminal Mischief (a Simple Misdemeanor) and 54-year-old Dawn Terese Nelson of Red Oak for Domestic Assault (a Simple Misdemeanor).  Both individuals were arrested in the 400 Block of East Nuckols Street in Red Oak.  Both were transported to the Montgomery County Jail where Joseph was held on $300 cash bond and Dawn was held on no bond until seen by a magistrate.

Then at 11:19pm Officers arrested 34-year-old Jared Michael Nyquist of Red Oak on a valid Montgomery County Warrant for Contempt.  He was arrested in the 100 block of West Coolbaugh Street in Red Oak and taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on $1,000 cash only bond.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of a Stanton man on a Domestic Assault charge on Friday.  At approximately 11:36pm deputies arrested 41-year-old Kelly Jon Stites of Stanton in the 100 block of Broad Avenue in Stanton.  Stites was charged with Domestic Asaault/Serious (Serious Misdemeanor) following an incident. He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and then charged with Possessing Contraband in a Correctional Facility (Class D Felony). He was being held on no bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farm field surveys reflecting excellent spring planting conditions and favorable summer weather have prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to boost harvest expectations for corn and soybeans to record highs. Ten states are expected to set new bushels-per-acre corn yields, including top U.S. producers Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska.

The USDA’s report Friday says overall, farmers are expected to harvest 15.2 billion bushels of corn — a billion more than 2014’s record 14.2 billion. A record soybean crop of 4.06 billion bushels also is expected, beating 3.9 billion bushels last year. But with a huge harvest comes a big problem: There’ll be the most grain in nearly 30 years to store. That’s likely to push prices lower, which will make it harder for farmers who rent land to make a profit. It’ll also make for cheaper livestock feed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Board of Psychology has decided against adopting a policy that bans Iowa-licensed psychologists from counseling gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender children to change their sexual orientation in a practice known as conversion therapy. The board on Friday denied a petition that would have prohibited state-licensed mental health providers from trying to reverse a patient’s sexual orientation.

Board spokeswoman Sharon Dozier declined to discuss reasons saying the board will release its full written decision later. Also on Friday, an Iowa Board of Medicine committee said it needs further study after hearing from doctors who said conversion therapy can be harmful to children and a religious group that says such a ban may infringe on religious rights.

Five states have passed laws banning conversion therapy for minors.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office says a reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for a burglary Wednesday, at the College Springs Cafe. An investigation determined a person or persons unknown gained entry to the restaurant and took merchandise along with an unspecified amount of cash.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Page County Sheriff’s Office at 712-542-5193, or their local Law Enforcement agency. There is a Crime stoppers reward being offered of up to $1000.00, for the arrest and indictment of person(s) involved in this crime.  Tipsters can remain anonymous and will be given a # when a tip is given and a contact number for the tipster.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports a Pottawattamie County man suffered possible, unknown injuries during a motorcycle accident Thursday afternoon, on Highway 44. 76-year old James Russell Wharton, of Avoca, was transported to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital by Audubon Rescue, after the 2014 Yamaha motorcycle he was driving westbound on Highway 44, left the road on a curve. The cycle entered a ditch and traveled for about 100 yards before hitting a street sign post. Wharton was ejected from the motorcycle during the crash.

The accident happened at around 3:30-p.m.  Damage to the cycle was estimated at $1,500.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A report says 2,300 patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals in Iowa and South Dakota were assigned to “ghost panels,” or primary care doctors who no longer worked there. Critics say the practice is a way some VA hospitals have made caseloads appear artificially small. It can be disruptive for patients, who have to see different doctors if they need care and may face longer wait times.

Federal auditors investigated the use of ghost panels at the request of Rep. Timothy Walz of Minnesota. A report issued Thursday found two panels at the Iowa City VA and two at the Blacks Hills VA. The report says the practice violates department policy, which requires patients to be reassigned when doctors leave employment. But it found no evidence that patients were negatively affected.