(Red Oak, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a man was arrested at around 12:40-a.m. Saturday (Feb. 10), for Public Intoxication. Authorities say 52-year-old Philip Luke Turner, of Elliott, was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

OMAHA, Nebraska (KCRG) – A new report focused on deportation hearings in one immigration court finds there’s a lack of due process for immigrants.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska observed more than 500 hearings in the Omaha immigration court. About 40 percent of the removal proceedings in the court involve people living in Iowa.

According to the report, judges routinely compromised the due process rights of immigrants. The report outlines four specific areas: judges failing to consistently advise people of their rights, deficient interpretation services, a high number of cases without attorney representation, and the short duration of hearings – often lasting fewer than four minutes.

“As the backlog grows bigger and bigger every day, it has not been going down, you can imagine there’s pressure to get things done quicker. However, our constitutional rights cannot be affected by that. An immovable object that simply cannot be infringed on for the sake of expediency,” said ACLU of Nebraska Legal Fellow & lead author of the report Dylan Severino.

The report’s recommendations range from small adjustments, such as using telephone interpretation services whenever needed, to large actions by Congress, such as passing comprehensive immigration reform and reestablishing the immigration court system as an independent court system rather than a Department of Justice function.

The report also suggests state and local governments consider creating programs to guarantee legal representation in immigration court proceedings.

To view the full report, click HERE.

JEFFERSON, Iowa (KCAU) — The lawyer for a man accused of kidnapping his son and leading to a standoff is asking for court proceedings to be suspended so the court can determine his client’s mental capacity. Mark Rasmussen, the lawyer representing Brandon Duong, 34, filed a motion to determine competency Thursday. In the filing, Rasmussen wants to have Duong’s mental capacity determined as he said that he believes Duong “is not able to assist in his defense.

He added that he doesn’t believe Duong is “able to perform the reasoning and/or judgment necessary to consider pleas or to make decisions.” Rasmussen states that Duong suffers from a mental disorder, limiting him from understanding his charges, assisting the defense counsel, or understanding the proceedings. As such, the defense is asking for the court to suspend proceedings so the court can see if Duong is fit to stand trial.

Duong faces charges of second-degree kidnapping – armed with a dangerous weapon, a Class B felony, and violation of custodial order – relative, a class D felony. The charges stem from an incident on Jan. 30. On that day, authorities said that Duong kidnapped his son from Jefferson and sparked a state-wide Amber Alert.

Later that day, Duong’s vehicle was later spotted by law enforcement in Woodbury County, leading to a pursuit into Cherokee and Plymouth counties. Duong later crashed east of Remsen. While armed with a rifle, he allegedly fled into a field with his son, court documents state.

During the standoff, Duong allegedly carried his son over his shoulders while officers had their guns drawn. A criminal complaint also accuses him of “using [his son] as a shield and a hostage” during the standoff. Officers eventually found Duong in the field and, after an hours-long standoff, took him into custody.

A release from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office stated that Duong was a non-custodial parent. The Iowa State Patrol said in a release the night of the incident that a Dec. 2023 court order restricted Duong from having custody of his son.

Duong pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing. He is currently scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 19.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI} — A woman authorities call a person of interest in a Minnesota homicide is in jail right now in Iowa.

Arlene Bell, 32, was taken into custody on unrelated charges in Dallas County following a traffic stop Monday, Feb 5th, on Interstate 80 near Van Meter. She faces several drug and alcohol charges, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm and theft.

The Faribault (Minnesota) Police Department posted a news release on its Facebook page that the traffic stop in Iowa occurred before Gary Lehmeyer, 70, was found dead. Bell, who authorities say was in a “domestic relationship” with Lehmeyer at the time of his death, was driving his car when she was stopped in Iowa.

“Faribault detectives have worked with the Iowa State Patrol to take custody of Lehmeyer’s vehicle and transported it to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) in St. Paul for forensic processing,” according to the post.

“Faribault detectives have worked with the Rice County Attorney’s Office to issue a warrant for Bell’s arrest and extradition on a charge of Motor Vehicle Theft once her Iowa case is resolved. This remains an open and active case as we await forensic testing results and further investigation.”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Officials with the Red Oak Police Department report the arrest Friday afternoon, of 25-year-old Justin Leroy Newman, from Red Oak. Newman was arrested around 4 p.m. in the 400 block of North 2nd Street. He was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $2,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission today (Friday) chose Deputy Director Tina Eick (eye-k) to become the new administrator of the organization. Eick has been the interim administrator since Brian Ohorilko (Oh-reel-koh) left the position for a job in the private sector. Commission member, Amy Burkhardt, led the search subcommittee and says they had nine candidates and held three interviews.

Eick has worked for Racing and Gaming for seven years, and was the director of operations before becoming the deputy director.

She says Eick has developed strong relationships with existing staff and others within our industry.

Eick spoke after being unanimously elected to the position.

Eick takes over immediately, and her first Commission meeting as the administrator will be in March.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Family Dental Center on Thursday, February 8th, 2024 to celebrate their recent expansion in the adjacent building, previously home to the Food Pantry.

The Ambassadors last visited the Family Dental Center in 2020, when Dr. Chet Meneely purchased the practice from Dr. Kreifels after his 30+ years of practice. Since 2020, Dr. Meneely and his team have been busy settling into the Atlantic location while acquiring locations in Avoca and Corning. In June of 2023, after the Food Pantry had moved to its new location, the practice began remodeling into the space next door to double the size of the Atlantic location. The new edition features 3 new chairs and an office for Dr. Meneely. With the multiple locations and expansion, the practice is actively recruiting an additional dentist to join the team.

Pictured Left to Right: Kelsey Beschorner, Aldean Harriman, Rick Mericle, Jennifer McaEntaffer, Anne Quist, Megan Sramek, Theresa Hoenberger, Dr.Keith Leonard, DeeDee Kalny, Lynette Miller, Kennedy Freund, Sue Liston, Chet Meneely, Alisha Wagner, Brandi Thompsen, Heidi Hinman, Rikki Jo Peck, Jeremy Butler, Colt Doherty, Elaine Otte, Jeff Christensen, Katelynn Burnett, Julie Waters, Lana Westphalen, Tim Marcsisak, Jim Kickland

Family Dental Center, in Atlantic, is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 7-4:30PM. The practice specializes in general preventive exams and cleanings along with restorative and cosmetic treatments. Dr. Meneely is particularly proud of their annual program honoring veterans with free dental cleanings, fillings, extractions, and acrylic partials that would not otherwise be covered by dental insurance.

To book an appointment at Family Dental Center, call 712-243-3275 or visit https://familydentalcenterswia.com/

(Radio Iowa) – A House subcommittee has approved the governor’s plan to create a statewide system that combines the regions in charge of mental health services with the regions in charge of providing substance use treatment.

Kelly Garcia, director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, says the proposal would streamline services that have a lot of overlap and make it easier for Iowans to get help. “As part of our assessment work over the last seven months, we have heard from thousands of providers and they have told us our system is cumbersome,” Garcia says. “…This bill really does take a huge step forward to cure that issue.”

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services director Kelly Garcia (official photo)

The proposed plan would go into effect July 1st of next year. Flora Schmidt is the executive director of the Iowa Behavioral Health Association. She says that timeline is a concern.  “Our members are – they’ve got a lot of angst right now they just don’t know what it’s going to mean to their workforce, to their funding, and ultimately, their ability to maintain a continuity of services over the next 18 months,” Schmidt says.

Iowa currently has 13 regions that provide state and federally funded services for Iowans with mental health issues and intellectual disabilities. There are 19 regions in charge of government funded care for substance abuse and gambling addiction. The governor’s plan creates seven districts that would each provide all those services.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Atlantic SplashPad project fundraising committee member Ali Pieken, Friday (today), said the Committee “Received almost $37,000 in donations within 48 hours following the city council meeting on Tuesday night.”  Pieken said one of the donations came in the form of “a $25,000 check from 1st Whitney Bank.”

SplashPad Fundraising Committee Co-Chair Jeremy Butler receives a check from the daughter of Pete & Ellie Smith. (All photo’s courtesy of Ali Pieken)

The Council meeting raised the ire of some residents, when it was alleged some at City Hall had blocked efforts by the Committee to obtain grants for the project.

The following day, Committee Co-Chair Jeremy Butler said the comments made during the meeting were not placed “In the proper context.”

He said also, the bottom line is that “The committee has never wavered from their primary focus which was getting the Splash Pad completed. It has been one of the things at the top of the community’s wish list for several years.”

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police say two people were arrested and released from the scene on citations, for littering. 32-year-old Jessica Lynn Hardman, of Red Oak, was cited at around 10:15-a.m. Friday (today), in the 100 block of W. Coolbaugh Street. 32-year-old Jamie Gene Neville, of Red Oak, was cited at around 10:30-a.m. Friday, in the 400 block of E. Grimes Street. Both were ordered to appear in court on the simple misdemeanor offenses.