(Radio Iowa) – Military commanders would no longer decide whether soldiers accused of sexual assault are prosecuted under a proposal Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are supporting. Ernst, a veteran of the Iowa National Guard, says sexual assault has plagued the military for too long and it makes sense to have neutral party make the decision. “I’m a former commander, but I’m also a survivor of sexual assault,” Ernst says. “I understand the traumatic events too many of our survivors have faced.”

Under the plan that will be considered in a Senate committee, commanders will be notified of pending cases, but it will be prosecutors in the military justice system who decide if charges will be filed when a soldier accuses another soldier of sexual assault. “To help ensure survivors are treated with the dignity, the respect and the justice that they so deserve,” Ernst said. The bill also calls for more training and education that Ernst says will hopefully prevent sexual assaults from being committed in the first place.

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, has been working for eight years to build a coalition in the senate to address the issue. During a Capitol Hill news conference today (Thursday), Gillibrand noted Senator Grassley was the first Republican to back her effort. Grassley says the time has arrived for action. “It looks like we’re going to have a success this year…If you’re right, eventually win out in the congress of the United States and this is a perfect example of your hard work paying off, maybe longer than it should have, but paying off now,” Grassley said. “Sexual assault cannot be tolerated anyplace, but particularly in the military.”

Gillibrand also credited Senator Ernst for her work on the policy and her recent effort to line up the votes to get it passed. “She knows that this system is fundamentally broken,” Gillibrand said, “so her leadership today is extremely meaningful.” Ernst previously opposed taking the decision to prosecute out of the chain of command, but Ernst says she has decided to support the change because the problem of sexual assault in the military has gotten worse.

Last year 14 officers at an Army base in Texas were fired or suspended after an independent report found a culture of violence and sexual assault at Fort Hood. Ernst said within the next week, she and Gillibrand expect to have 60 senators as co-sponsors of the proposal. Ernst and Gillibrand both serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee. They intend to insert the Military Justice Improvement plan into the committee’s annual National Defense Authorization Act.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Thursday, said 44-year-old Carlos Rafael Lopez-Ruiz, of Glenwood, was arrested Wednesday on charges that include Sexual Assault and False Imprisonment. Lopez-Ruiz was being held without bond as of the time of his arrest.

And, 25-year-old Daniel Edward Fitch, of Omaha, NE, was arrested Wed. for Driving while Revoked. His bond was set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections says a large-scale investigation has turned up evidence of the synthetic drug K-2 at the prison in Clarinda. Information from the Department of Corrections spokesman says staff at the Clarinda facility began noticing last week a sudden increase in the number of inmates experiencing symptoms consistent with those that have consumed a narcotic.

Prison leadership requested a large-scale search and dogs from six Iowa prisons searched for illegal narcotics and narcotic-laced materials. Approximately 60 inmates have been found to be involved in consumption, possession, or the introduction of K-2. The spokesman says the prison has known of an increase nationwide in substances coming into prisons through the mail.

The evidence at Clarinda is being processed and the department says it will try to adjust the mail system for inmates to allow those in the prison to still receive mail in a safe and secure fashion. Any decisions on charges against the prisoners will be made after the evidence is processed and the investigation is complete.

A man from Stuart faces a charge of first-degree harassment associated with a profane message he left in Governor Reynolds’ voicemail on Jan. 5^th. In his message, 48-year-old Harvey Hunter, Jr., who was  upset over the Governor’s handling of the COVID-19 restrictions, said Reynolds should be “hung for treason.” Hunter has defended his comments as being free speech, while expressing opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. The message was left on a governor’s office phone line set up to gather input over whether Reynolds should continue the partial statewide mask mandate.

Hunter called the GOP governor a dictator and said “every single one of you need to be hung for treason for pushing this COVID scam,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Polk County. Growing more intense, Hunter called Reynolds two derogatory names for women and said “you need to be put in front of a firing squad,” the complaint said. Hunter last month turned himself in to face the charge, an aggravated misdemeanor that carries up to two years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorney recently filed a motion to take the governor’s deposition in the case. Trial is scheduled for June.

A charging document filed this month said that Hunter’s comments amounted to the most serious form of harassment under Iowa law because they included a “threat to commit a forcible felony” against the governor. In phone interviews Wednesday and Thursday, Hunter denied that he was threatening to kill the governor. Instead, he said she and other government officials who imposed COVID-19 restrictions that he believed were violations of freedom should be put on trial for treason and punished if convicted.

(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge teen is charged in connection with a February shooting, while facing felony charges after running from police while carrying a gun on Wednesday. Fort Dodge police were able to take 18-year-old T’vyon S. Gully into custody after a foot pursuit. Police say Gully had a gun when he ran from them. Officers were able to get Gully to drop the gun without incident. Gully faces charges from the February shooting in which a 21-year-old man was injured, and he faces new charges that stem from Wednesday’s incident.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s now a mobile app for the College Savings Iowa program. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald’s office oversees the plan that allows you to sock away money for your kid’s education. “It’s called READY-SAVE -5-2-9, all one long word there. And you can go right to either Apple or Google Pay to download it, it’s free. Anytime you have your phone with you, you can call it right up. You can make a deposit or check your balances, you can do it right there,” Fitzgerald says.

Fitzgerald says it also makes it easier for others to contribute to your child’s fund. He says aunts, uncles, family and friends who may want to contribute a few dollars for the child’s birthday or other events can do so — as can owners or anybody who wants to contribute. Fitzgerald encourages parents to start a College Savings Iowa account as soon as they have kids, as he says even small amounts contributed each year will grow. “And of course, the more you can save, the easier it’s going to be, because colleges keep getting more expensive all the time,” according to Fitzgerald.

There is another benefit for parents as well. “Iowans can put three-thousand-474 dollars into one child’s account and deduct that much from your Iowa income tax — Iowa, not federal — and it’ll grow tax free,” Fitzgerald says. You can then deduct the money to pay qualifying college expenses once your kid is ready.

To find out more about how to start an account and the benefits and guidelines — call 888-672-9116 or visit CollegeSavingsIowa.com.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today (Thursday), announced that a federal search warrant was executed this morning, at a home on the 100 block of Ehrig Avenue in Treynor. The search at this residence was an official law enforcement action involving agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are unaware of any safety risk to the public.

Authorities say this is an ongoing investigation and no other information will be released at this time.