(Radio Iowa) — The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office has become the second in the state to use a full body scanner to check inmates into their jail. Sergeant Lee Blanchard says the SecurePass systems is faster and more efficient. “It allows us to see things you wouldn’t normally see — any kind of contraband anything somebody might have hidden on their person — a huge way to do it without having to physically do a strip search,” Blanchard says.

When a person is brought into the jail for booking, they undergo a quick low-level radiation x-ray. “All they have to do is stand on the pedestal there and hold still for about seven seconds. The platform moves through and does a full scan of their body,” Blanchard says. ” You can see basically anything that somebody has on them.” The scanner will detect metal and other foreign objects including narcotics.

Major Tony Wingert says the scanner proved its worth in its first days of use when a person turned himself in at the jail to begin serving his time. He says they saw something on the scanner that concerned them and the person’s demeanor immediately changed and he started sweating, his temperature went up and he gave off clues that he may’ve been trying to hide something on his body. Wingert says they refused the prisoner and he is going to turn himself in at a later date.

Sheriff Dave Drew says the funding of the 190-thousand dollar unit came from inmate room and board charges. Pottawattamie County was the first to purchase this type of scanner after a prisoner being transferred hid a lock pick in his hair to free himself from handcuffs and then shot two deputies, killing one of them.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:50 a.m. CDT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — The city of Ames’ plantings in beds and containers not only keep downtown looking lush, they also feed the hungry. For a second year, Ames Main Street has substituted edible landscaping _ including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, cucumbers and okra _ for the flowers it used to plant. On Friday, volunteers harvested more than 200 pounds of sweet potatoes from 25 planters along the street.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A 27-year-old woman has died after a rollover crash on an all-terrain vehicle in eastern Iowa over the weekend. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports the crash happened early Sunday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential prospect Cory Booker is planning to headline a state Democratic banquet in Iowa next month, raising the New Jersey senator’s profile on the heels of his spotlight role in Supreme Court confirmation hearings. A statement from the Iowa Democratic Party says Booker is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Oct. 6 event in Des Moines. Booker would be the first among the party’s better-known national figures to visit the leadoff primary state this year.

ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — Court documents say a 12-year-old Iowa boy pointed a gun at his teacher’s face and pulled the trigger, but the safety was on. The Courier reports that court documents say the boy entered a North Scott Junior High classroom on Aug. 31 with a .22-caliber handgun. The boy is charged with attempted murder.

(DES MOINES) – Vincent Cortez Brown, convicted of Murder 2nd Degree in Polk County, was not present during a head count at the Fort Des Moines Work Release Center, Sunday afternoon.

Brown is a 39-year-old black male, height 5’10”, and weighs 223 pounds. He was admitted to the work release facility on August 23, 2018.

Persons with information on Brown’s whereabouts should contact local police. See his image on the link below.

https://screenshots.firefox.com/Lgd3fb4yDMbFYn3V/twitter.com

A call about a vehicle driving on its rims early Sunday morning near Creston, resulted in the arrest of a man on an alcohol-related charge. Creston Police say the 2018 Chevy Trailblazer was being driven by 52-year old Brett Duane George, of Creston, was traveling north of town on Cherry Street at around 2:25-a.m., when they saw the SUV had hit a parked 2018 Ford F-160 pickup registered to Patrick Means, of Creston. Brett George was arrested for OWI/2nd offense, after he tested at .283 for intoxication (more than 3 times the legal limit). He was also cited for Failure to Have Proof of Insurance, Failure to have a valid driver’s license, and a registration violation. His vehicle and the pickup sustained $3,000 damage, each. No injuries were reported.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Like most cities, Ames in central Iowa takes pains to keep its downtown looking lush in the summer by planting plenty of beds and containers lining the streets. But Ames’ plantings also feed the hungry.

For a second year, Ames Main Street has substituted edible landscaping — including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, kale, cabbage and okra — for the flowers it used to plant. On Friday, volunteers harvested more than 200 pounds of sweet potatoes from 25 planters along the street.

About 200 pounds of the potatoes were donated to Food at First, the local food pantry, said Ames Main Street spokeswoman Cindy Hicks. Downtown residents and business employees are welcomed to pick whatever produce they’ll consume. The rest goes to charity.

Hicks say about 100 pounds of other produce has been donated so far this summer, and more is expected, as many of the vegetable plants are still producing. The vegetable plants this year were donated, and the gardens are maintained by volunteers.