(Mount Ayr, Iowa) –  A Ringgold County Sheriff’s Deputy observed a man walking west on Highway 2 through the City of Mt. Ayr early this (Friday) morning, ended-up arresting the subject on a drug charge. Authorities say the Deputy stopped at around 2:15-a.m. to see if the man needed help. The subject, identified as 23-year-old Roman Wendel Vanessen, of Norwalk, mentioned he had no where to stay, and that his belongings were at his girlfriend’s apartment.

When the Deputy and Vanessen went to the apartment to gather his things, the Deputy noticed the man also picked-up drug paraphernalia. Roman Vanessen was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was booked into the Ringgold County Jail and held on $300 bond, pending an appearance before a magistrate.

Roman Vanessen

DES MOINES, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports 58-year-old Troy John Pitzen, of Peru, Iowa, was sentenced May 26, 2022, to 24 months in prison following his guilty plea to making false statements to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Pitzen’s term of imprisonment will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Between 2006 and 2017, Pitzen stole approximately $371,356 in Social Security survivors benefits belonging to his three minor children. Those benefits were paid to Pitzen, as the children’s representative payee, following the death of the children’s mother. During that time, Pitzen repeatedly submitted paperwork to the SSA falsely claiming the children were living with him and he was using the children’s survivors benefits to care for the children. In fact, the children were living with and being cared for by other individuals while Pitzen continued to receive the children’s benefits and converted most of those benefits to his own use.

The matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has denied the appeal of a man found guilty of brutally murdering a hunter in Appanoose County. Ethan Davis of Promise City was found guilty of first-degree murder in a random attack on hunter Curtis Ross. Ross’s body was found in a public hunting area the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2017, he had been shot and stabbed several times. Ross appealed his conviction saying a jury instruction on reasonable doubt was not adequate, and an instruction given to the jury after they appeared deadlocked pushed them to a verdict.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling says the instruction given to the jury was adequate. And it says the jury continued deliberating for four-and-half hours after the second instruction — which the Court says was ample time for them to discuss the evidence and thoroughly evaluate each other’s opinions.

(Radio Iowa) – The City of Dubuque is urging residents to be “bear aware” after a black bear has been seen roaming northeast Dubuque since early May. City officials say the D-N-R is working with them the Dubuque County Conservation Board, and the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department to monitor the bear’s movements. They are asking residents to take steps to help discourage the bear from staying in the area.

Those include securing garbage, removing low-hanging bird feeders, not putting pet food outside, and keeping the barbecue grill clean or in a shed. A D-N-R wildlife biologist says the bear will move on if these food sources are not available.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The lawyer for an Atlantic man facing felony charges of Arson and Attempted Murder, entered a written plea of Not Guilty for his client Wednesday, in Cass County District Court. In addition to the felony charges, 30-year-old Anthony Rey Asay is charged with Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, Willful Injury causing bodily injury, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense. Asay is set to be arraigned June 6th, with a pre-trial conference on June 11th, and trial on July 12th at 9:30-a.m.

Asay is accused of being involved in a May 4th residential structure fire on Cedar Street in Atlantic, and an assault that occurred later that same day at 1207 Birch Street in Atlantic. During the apprehension, he was uncooperative and resisted Officers. Asay was charged with Possession of Marijuana./1st offense, and a separate assault charge in connection with an incident that took place April 30th .

(Radio Iowa) – A majority of over 400 clinical and administrative staffers at Planned Parenthood facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas are taking the first step to unionize. The group has notified the National Labor Relations Board they’d like to join the Service Employees International Union. Ashley Schmidt is a Planned Parenthood training and development specialist who works in Nebraska and western Iowa.  “As we move forward into what will be a challenging a difficult time, having this union will ensure that all of our voices are heard,” Schmidt says.

The group of employees work at facilities in Iowa and the four other states in Planned Parenthood’s North Central States region. They say Planned Parenthood’s front line workers are experiencing burn out. April Clark is a registered nurse who has worked at eight Planned Parenthood Clinics around Des Moines and eastern Iowa for the past decade. She says unionizing is a way to make sure Planned Parenthood executives take care of front line workers. “To make sure that our people have fair and just wages, safe and adequate staffing ratios and equal access to benefits,” Clark says.

If the organization’s executives do not recognize the union, the National Labor Relations Board will oversee an election among Planned Parenthood workers in the five states.