The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a Carter Lake man, 43-year-old Kevin Michael Borg, turned himself-in to the Sheriff’s Office Monday afternoon. Borg was wanted on a warrant for Violation of Probation. He was booked into the Pott. County Jail. In other news, there were a few prisoners from other facilities transferred to the Pottawattamie County Jail to address warrants:

• 27-year-old Michael Roy E. White, Jr., of Carter Lake, and 26-year-old Kameron Riley Myers, of Glenwood, were wanted on separate Pott. County warrants for Violation of Probation.
• 24-year-old Kolby Austin Fulk, of Atlantic, was transported from the Cass County Jail to Pott. County, where he was wanted on warrants for OWI/1st offense and Absence from Custody. He was being held on bond amounting to $3,300.
• and, 37-year-old Tabray McQuail Floyd, of Council Bluffs, an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, was served with a warrant for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. He was being held on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Legislation that aims to set up a grant program so police departments can get access to training and equipment will go before the U-S Senate Judiciary Committee this week. That panel’s ranking Republican, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, says he’s a co-sponsor of the Invest to Protect Act which is being introduced during National Police Week. “This would help smaller, local police departments recruit and retain officers,” Grassley says. “That’s something that I often hear from police departments as I travel the state, they’re having trouble finding and keeping police officers.”

The bill is designed to ensure police get needed training as well as access to body cameras and mental health resources. In the past few years, Grassley says police recruitment numbers have faltered.  “This is partially because of dangerous, anti-law enforcement rhetoric that has emboldened criminals and, most importantly, demoralized the police,” Grassley says, “and demoralized police don’t work as efficiently as if they’re honored by the public.”

Crime rates rose in recent years, Grassley says, with some cities reporting that carjackings have tripled. Also, there’s been a rising sentiment in some populations to oppose the police, which Grassley says is a menacing trend. “I think a lot of these cities that were in revolt two years ago, that led to the slogan ‘Defund the police,’ I think they realize how big of a mistake it is,” Grassley says, “and we’re seeing a turnaround of funding police properly.”

The judiciary committee on Thursday will also consider a measure Grassley co-sponsored called the Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Act. It would set up mental health programs for America’s first responders, who often face long-term impacts from offering life-saving services during moments of crisis.

(Washington, D-C) – The Justice Department today (Tuesday), announced that it has secured an agreement to resolve a lawsuit alleging that Davenport, Iowa, landlord Juan Goitia violated the Fair Housing Act by sexually harassing female tenants. The settlement also resolves claims against 908 Bridge Cooperative which, along with Goitia, owned the properties where the harassment occurred.

Under the consent order, which still must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, defendants are required to pay $135,000 to compensate individuals harmed by the harassment and pay a civil penalty to the United States. The consent order also:

• prohibits Goitia from continuing to manage rental housing;
• requires Goitia to retain an independent property manager to manage any rental properties he owns now or in the future; and
• requires defendants to obtain fair housing training and implement comprehensive non-discrimination policies and complaint procedures to prevent sexual harassment at their properties in the future.

“Sexual harassment by housing providers is an illegal and egregious abuse of power that deprives tenants of their right to be safe and secure in their homes,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to protecting the rights of vulnerable tenants subjected to sexual harassment and will continue to hold landlords accountable and obtain relief for survivors.”

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that since at least 2010, Goitia subjected female tenants to harassment that included making unwelcome sexual comments and advances, touching tenants’ bodies without their consent, entering the homes of female tenants without their consent and without prior notice, and taking adverse actions against tenants who resisted his sexual overtures or complained about the harassment.

This case was litigated by attorneys in the department’s Civil Rights Division and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. The Justice Department’s Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The goal of the department’s initiative is to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers, or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative in October 2017, the Department of Justice has filed 23 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $9.6 million for victims of such harassment.

(Anamosa, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections, Monday, said Anamosa State Penitentiary inmate Taylor Bradley Denney was pronounced dead due to apparent suicide at approximately 9:45 p.m., Saturday, May 14.  Denney was 30 years old at the time of his death.

He had been serving a 10-year maximum term for the crime of Arson 2nd Degree from Scott County. His sentence began on April 30, 2021. The department says it investigates all suspected suicides within its correctional facilities.

Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Tuesday) released a report on a special investigation of the City of Silver City for the period May 1, 2017 through April 30, 2021. A copy of the full, 150 page report is available at https://www.auditor.iowa.gov/reports/file/69320/embed. The special investigation was requested by City officials as a result of concerns regarding certain financial transactions processed by the former City Clerk, Artema Gray, and covered the period May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2021.

Sand reported the special investigation identified $61,730.26 of improper disbursements, $3,499.51 of unsupported disbursements, and $1,555.00 of undeposited fundraising collections.
The improper disbursements identified includes $42,210.26 of personal purchases made with the City’s credit card. The improper disbursements identified also include $10,880.22 of unauthorized payroll issued to Ms. Gray and related payroll costs, $2,006.49 of unauthorized reimbursements issued to Ms. Gray, and $545.00 of payments for Ms. Gray’s personal CenturyLink bills. Sand also reported the improper disbursements identified includes interest late fees, and penalties to IPERS, the Department of Revenue, the Internal Revenue Service, and credit card payments.

The $3,499.51 of unsupported disbursements identified includes $2,672.64 of purchases made with the City’s credit cards and $261.95 of reimbursements issued to Ms. Gray. Sand reported it was not possible to determine the propriety of these credit card charges and disbursements because they were not supported by documentation sufficient to determine if they were for City operations or personal in nature.

Sand also reported $1,555.00 of undeposited fundraising collections were identified by comparing the amount which should have been collected to amount deposited in the City’s bank account. It was not possible to determine if additional funds were improperly disbursed or if any additional collections were not properly deposited during the period reviewed because adequate records were not available.

In addition, Sand reported City officials did not implement policies or procedures to address the recommendations included in a report released in May 2018 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. The report included recommendations to segregate duties, perform bank reconciliations, ensure disbursements were properly supported by sufficient documentation, adhere to established credit card policies, and reconcile collections to deposits.

As was recommended in the earlier report, Sand again recommended City officials implement procedures to ensure the City’s internal controls are strengthened, including properly segregating duties, performing independent reviews of bank reconciliations, and ensuring all disbursements are properly supported, approved, and paid in a timely manner.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department reports 24-year-old Samantha Rose Lauer, of Creston, was arrested Monday night at the Creston Walmart Store. Lauer was taken into custody for shoplifting (Theft in the 5th Degree). She was cited, and then released from the scene.

Authorities report also, 54-year-old Christopher Joseph Cooklin, of Muskogee OK., was arrested this (Tuesday) morning, at the intersection of Sumner/Adams Street. Cooklin was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.