(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston report three recent arrests. Two people were taken into custody early this (Friday) morning:

47-year-old Jeanie Dion Tavoada, of Creston, was arrested a little before 3-a.m. at the Creston Union County LEC (Law Enforcement Center). Tavoada was charged with OWI/1st Offense. Tavoada was taken to the Union County Jail and later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. And, at around 12:15-a.m., 34-year-old Nevin Alan Meisenheimer, of Creston, was arrested at his residence. Meisenheimer was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault-Parent with Same Minor Child. He was taken to the Union County Jail and held without bond until seen by the Magistrate.

Thursday afternoon, 67-year-old Jeffrey Lynn Bandow, of Creston, was arrested at the Walmart store, in Creston. Bandow was charged with Driving while Revoked-Operation without Interlock Device, Driving while Revoked and OWI/1st Offense. He was taken to the Union County Jail and held on a $2,300 cash or surety bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa State Patrol reports two separate accidents Thursday in eastern Iowa resulted in injuries to three people. A little before 8-a.m., Thursday, a pickup truck driven by 15-year-old James J. Denning, of Houghton, was traveling east on Lee County Road 103 out of West Point, when a pedestrian, 65-year-old Jayme Boeding, of West Point, crossed the road near 2431 County Road 103, to get to his mailbox.

When Boeding failed to see the approaching pickup truck approaching from the west, he was struck by the vehicle in the eastbound lane of travel. Boeding was transported by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. A report on his condition was not released.

And, at around 4:15-p.m., Thursday, the drivers of two vehicles involved in a collision in Louisa County were transported to the hospital, after one of the drivers – 74-year-old Sharon Jennings, of Mount Union (IA), failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection of Highway 78 east and M Avenue, southeast of Morning Sun. Jennings’ 2011 Honda 4-door collided with a 2014 Ford pickup driven by 14-year-old Zane Veach, of Wapello. Both vehicles came to rest in the southeast ditch.

Both drivers were wearing their seat belts. Jennings was transported by helicopter to UIHC. Veach was transported by private vehicle to a local hospital. The crash remains under investigation. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, Wapello Rescue & 1st Responders, Morning Sun Fire, Wapello Ambulance and Med Force.

(Radio Iowa) – A court-appointed trustee says a Chicago law firm submitted a shocking, 922-thousand dollar bill for its work as Mercy hospital in Iowa City worked its way through bankruptcy court. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the trustee has recommended that a judge review the bill to see if it’s reasonable and necessary.

Late last month, the court announced the University of Iowa’s 28 MILLION dollar bid to buy Mercy hospital had been accepted as the best offer. That reversed a previous announcement that the hospital had been acquired by a Texas finance company that was the hospital’s largest creditor.

(Eldora, Iowa [WHO-TV])  — A licensed therapist hired to work with at-risk residents at the Iowa State Training School for Boys in Eldora has been fired as authorities investigate her for allegedly having sex with multiple clients and providing contraband, according to a state official. The Eldora Police Department is investigating the allegations. No criminal charges have been filed.

WHO-TV reports an investigation by the Iowa Appeals and Inspections was launched after a resident was found with a vape pen at the school one week ago. The resident informed staff it came from a therapist at the school who was also providing the contraband to as many as seven residents she was engaging in sexual acts with, the state official said.

Most, if not all the residents involved are minors. The accused therapist was placed on administrative leave and was fired shortly after.

The primary purpose of the State Training School at Eldora is to provide a continuum of supervision and rehabilitation programs, which meet the needs of males adjudicated delinquent, in a manner consistent with public safety, according to the schools website. These services and programs individualize treatment and control the offender for his own benefit and the protection of society.

Adair, Iowa [KCCI] — The Chief of Police in Adair remains on the job while he faces more than a dozen federal charges related to machine guns. The recent court filings explain how the investigation into Chief Brad Wendt unfolded, what city council members knew, and when they knew it. KCCI reports the documents describe interviews the FBI conducted with current and former Adair City Council members and the transcripts of closed-session city council meetings.

The court filings also indicate that on Aug. 31, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Police Chief Brad Wendt’s gun store in Denison, and the Adair Police Department. Wendt was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after that. And then, on Sept. 14 — two weeks after the FBI searches — Adair City Council members held a closed-door meeting to talk about Wendt. Transcripts show one council member claimed that Wendt admitted he sold guns for much more than he’d paid for them, claiming to do so on behalf of the city.

Another member defended Wendt — saying the chief had “paid for everything” — and had broken no laws.The council held another private meeting on Oct. 26 — to talk about a letter from Wendt’s attorney. The contents of that letter have not been made public. But by the end of that meeting, transcripts show, the council reinstated Wendt, taking him off of paid leave.

Less than two months later, though — on Dec. 14, 2022 — Wendt was indicted on 19 federal charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office accused Wendt of exploiting his position as police chief to buy or try to buy machine guns over a four-year period. Prosecutors say Wendt claimed the guns were for official police duties, but were actually re-sold, stored, or even used at public events where people were charged money to shoot those guns.

Five days after that indictment, the city council again placed Wendt on leave — this time unpaid. Less than a month after that — on Jan. 11, 2023, the city council held another closed-door meeting. Transcripts show Wendt himself was there, and claimed “everybody” on city council knew he was buying the machine guns. Later that night, the council voted to reinstate Wendt for a second time.

Wendt is due in Federal Court Feb. 5 in Des Moines. If found guilty, Wendt could be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years behind bars.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is co-sponsoring a bill that would shift unused COVID-19 funds to help replace Chinese-made communications equipment installed in the U-S. “Last year, U.S. officials confirmed Huawei equipment can intercept not only commercial cell traffic, but also the highly restricted airwaves used by the U.S. military,” Hinson says. “Chinese-made equipment in our networks is an individual privacy, cybersecurity and national security disaster.”

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, is among a bipartisan group in the House co-sponsoring a bill called the Defend Our Networks Act. A similar bill in the U.S. has bipartisan backing. The Biden Administration has prohibited the purchase of communications equipment from Huawei and Z-T-E, businesses that have close ties to the Chinese government. The Federal Communications Commission has banned U-S based networks from using the equipment.

“They also ordered telecom carriers to tear out equipment made by Huawei and ZTE,” Hinson says. “However, it’s estimated there are still about 24,000 pieces of this Chinese-made equipment embedded in our U.S. networks.”

The F-C-C’s “rip and replace” fund — created in 2020 — has reimburses small providers of cell or internet service that replace that Chinese equipment, but it still has about three BILLION dollars in eligible applications that haven’t been fulfilled. “That shortfall means that carriers will have to continuing compromised equipment or rip and not replace, leaving Americans without communications service and this would disproportionately impact rural areas, where many communities have only one carrier,” Hinson says. “That could lead to a total service loss for Americans in some place.”

Hinson says it’s critical to quickly replace Chinese-made products with secure tel-com equipment and ensure Americans have private and secure connectivity.