Officials with the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa report a Pottawattamie County man was arrested by agents with the FBI, Tuesday in Texas, in connection with sex trafficking and other offenses. 68-Year old Richard John Massey, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on charges of sex trafficking of a minor, coercion and enticement of a minor, and traveling in interstate commerce to facilitate prostitution.

His arrest followed an indictment on these charges returned by a federal grand jury sitting in the Southern District of Iowa on October 30, 2018. The offenses are alleged to have occurred between October 2017 and April 26, 2018.

Massey was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as he entered the United States on a flight originating from Mexico. On November 7, 2018, Massey made an initial appearance before a United States Magistrate Judge in Dallas, Texas, and was ordered to appear in the Southern District of Iowa on a subsequent date. Massey remains in custody pending proceedings in the Southern District of Iowa.

Authorities stressed that an Indictment is merely an accusation, and that Massey is presumed innocent unless he is proven guilty. The matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Omaha Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Secretary of State’s office says turnout for Tuesday’s election was the highest for a midterm general election in the state. The office said in a written release that more than 1.32 million votes had been tallied by Wednesday morning, marking the highest number for a midterm election in the state’s history. The previous record of more than 1.14 million votes was set in 2014.

The office says nearly 61 percent of Iowa’s more than 2 million registered voters participated in this year’s elections, including the primary election. That marked the highest percentage for a midterm election year since 1994, when turnout topped 62 percent.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A defiant Iowa Congressman Steve King says his “head is bloodied but unbowed” by an unexpectedly difficult election in which he eked out the narrowest victory margin of his career. The Republican’s victory over Democrat J.D. Scholten came amid outcry over his association with white supremacist groups, which he says is false, and his hardline views on immigration, abortion and gun rights.

King, in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, vows he’ll no longer allow news media or opponents to mischaracterize statements or take them out of context. He says the attacks will not intimidate him into backing off the values he believes.

Since first winning election in 2002, King’s vote total has dipped below 60 percent only twice. He defeated Scholten on Tuesday with just 50 percent of the vote.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned as the country’s chief law enforcement officer at President Donald Trump’s request. Sessions announced his plan to resign in a letter to the White House on Wednesday. Trump announced in a tweet that Sessions’ chief of staff Matt Whitaker would become the new acting attorney general. Whitaker is native Iowan and former University of Iowa football player who is currently in charge of the United States Department of Justice. He served as a US Attorney in Des Moines during the George W. Bush Administration.

The attorney general had endured more than a year of stinging and personal criticism from Trump over his recusal from the investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. Trump blamed the decision for opening the door to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the Russia investigation and began examining whether Trump’s hectoring of Sessions was part of a broader effort to obstruct justice.

Red Oak Police report one person was severely injured during an altercation Tuesday night.  Police received a report at around 8:25-p.m. of a male…56-year old Randall James Elarton… was assaulted in the 900 block of east Reed Street. Upon arrival and investigation, authorities determined Elarton had been extensively injured from an altercation that occurred at an earlier time. Red Oak Fire and Rescue began treatment of Elarton, who was later transported by helicopter to Creighton-Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha, for treatment of serious injuries.

Authorities say evidence and an investigation lead them to believe this was a targeted and isolated incident, and there is no threat to the community or the public in general. The investigation continues, and authorities say only the information released is being provided at this time. Additional details will be released when it becomes available.

Several agencies assisted Red Oak Police with the incident investigation, including: The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and K-9 Unit; Red Oak Fire and Rescue; Montgomery County Emergency Management; Iowa DCI and the DCI Crime Scene Unit, and the Iowa State Patrol.

(12-p.m. News)

Atlantic, IA – The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program through Cass County Public Health is celebrating National Parents as Teachers Day on November 8^th. PAT is a free program for Cass County families with children ages 0-5, which provides home visits to help young children grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn. The PAT educators help connect community partners with parents to prepare children for Kindergarten and beyond. Nancy Gibson, Parents as Teachers Coordinator said “We’ve been in Cass County since 1998, and we are a credentialed, evidence-based program. “During our 20 years of service to Cass County we have had the opportunity to serve 450 families and around 700 children.”

PAT educators (left to right) Nancy Gibson and Victoria Means

PAT currently has two different educators who provide monthly home visits to families with young children. During these visits, they work on getting a complete health history, doing developmental screenings to catch any delays as early as possible, check on immunizations, and much more. Children in the program also have access to free vision, hearing, and dental checks. The PAT program is partially funded by a grant from Boost 4 Families.

PAT currently has limited openings, parents who are interested in the program can contact Nancy at 712-243-7475. Referrals are also welcome—anyone who knows of a family that could benefit from participating is encouraged to call.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa employee responsible for issuing private security guard licenses was fired Tuesday for ethical and other rule violations, and a related criminal investigation is under way. A termination letter obtained by The Associated Press shows the Iowa Department of Public Safety fired clerk Joseph Sheehan Jr. after a nearly three-month paid leave. The department tells AP it opened a criminal investigation in August “after a routine review raised concerns related to the issuance of security guard identification cards.” That investigation is still ongoing.

Sheehan’s termination letter says an internal investigation found he violated five department policies, including those governing employee ethics, requiring timely and accurate official reports, barring incompetent performance and requiring employees to follow orders. The letter didn’t elaborate on Sheehan’s wrongdoing but said that his actions were unacceptable and his employment “has been counterproductive to the best interests of the Department.”