(Des Moines, Iowa/WHO-TV) — As more travelers take to the skies to reach their holiday destinations, the TSA is reminding those planning to travel with firearms about the right way to pack them. TSA rules require guns to be packed in a locked hard-sided case that is padded on the inside and the weapon also has to be unloaded. According to the TSA, “Firearm magazines and ammunition clips, whether loaded or empty, must be securely boxed or included within a hard-sided case containing an unloaded firearm.”

This handgun was detected by TSA officers in a passenger’s carry-on bag at Des Moines International Airport (DSM) on April 20. (TSA photo)

WHO-TV report so far this year, TSA agents at the Des Moines International Airport have stopped seven guns — all of which were loaded — during screening. In 2022, 15 guns were found during TSA screening at the airport. If there’s room in your suitcase to pack the firearm case, TSA officials recommend doing so. Some airlines will require guns that are only in a firearm case to be picked up at the baggage office after arrival at the destination. Check with your airline on their policies.

If you don’t declare a firearm you could face a civil penalty of up to $15,000. You can find out more about the TSA’s rules for traveling with firearms and ammunition at https://www.tsa.gov/travel/transporting-firearms-and-ammunition

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Two people have been charged with perjury and fraud for allegedly conducting a scheme to obtain forgeries of car titles out of Iowa. According to court documents out of Woodbury County, 32-year-old Rhonda Vermilyea, of Sioux City, would forge the owner’s signature of the Sioux City towing company she worked for on abandoned vehicle affidavits from mid-2020 to January 2023. She would then allegedly supply those forged documents to 52-year-old Christopher Abelson, of North Sioux City, South Dakota so that he could obtain a fraudulent Iowa Dealer’s Title, allowing him to sell them. By forging the owner’s signature, it implied that the vehicles were in the towing company’s possession and sold with a fraudulent bill of sale. The documents specified that none of the transactions actually occurred, and the owner was not aware of the employee’s alleged schemes.

Vermilyea allegedly admitted to receiving phone calls from Abelson with the VIN, make, model, year, and color which she would use to falsify an odometer disclosure, damage disclosure, abandon vehicle affidavit, and bill of sale. The information on more than 60 vehicles had been falsified. According to the documents, Abelson allegedly started by charging $500 per title, which increased to $1,000 over time. When the scheme had come to an end, he obtained over $30,000 for all titles involved in the case. Since the forgeries implied that the vehicles had been sold by the company, it would have created a ‘huge tax issue for the company’ due to the unreported income. None of the vehicles were ever in Iowa, or the company’s possession at any time, per Vermilyea and Abelson’s admissions, documents state. Additionally, Vermilyea allegedly did not send notices to previous owners of the vehicles, or possible lien holders which is required by law.

Vermilyea and Abelson told officials that they knew what they were doing was wrong, and not “100% by the code,” according to the documents. Vermilyea admitted to acting on her own, using her knowledge base with abandoned vehicles and their paperwork at the request of Abelson. No other employees of the company are known to have conspired with Vermilyea and she has since been fired from the company, according to the documents.

Vermilyea and Abelson were both arrested and charged Wednesday with first-degree fraudulent practice, perjury, and conspiracy to commit non-forcible felony. Vermilyea was also charged with one count of forgery. The case originated out of Woodbury County.

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – A northwest Iowa man is receiving a Medal of Valor in Des Moines from Gov. Kim Reynolds, for the heroic effort he made to save the life of a man and his dog in Siouxland. KTIV reports A-J Krieg lives in Sioux Falls now, and works as a welder, but he comes back to help on a family farm that is near Cylinder, Iowa in Palo Alto County. On Nov. 28th, he was working on the farm when he realized there was smoke coming from an old house that belonged to an elderly neighbor. Then he called the fire department and went to the house to investigate.

With black smoke billowing from the house, he was able to provide a hand from a window and save the man and his dog. Krieg told KTIV he knew in the moment he needed to spring into action.

The ceremony will take place Monday (Dec. 18th) at the Iowa Capitol Rotunda at 10 a.m.

(Ankeny, Iowa/WHO-TV)— An Ankeny mom is facing child endangerment charges after she allegedly left her infant child in her car, unsupervised, while she got a fake tan on two separate occasions. WHO-TV says according to court documents, on Dec. 4th (2023), 28-year-old Shelby Butterbaugh visited a tanning salon in Ankeny with her infant son. The staff at the salon refused to allow Butterbaugh near the tanning beds with her son because he couldn’t wear proper eyewear. Butterbaugh then left the salon and told staff she was going to leave her son in the car, a criminal complaint states. Staff observed her park her car closer to the salon, and then re-enter the building without her son. Staff told police Butterbaugh was inside for about 25 minutes and during that time a witness informed them that a baby was alone in a car in the parking lot, the complaint states.

On Dec. 12 another witness was walking through the parking lot of the tanning salon when they saw “a small child flailing, sitting in a rear-facing car seat in a vehicle,” and noticed the baby was alone, court documents state. The vehicle was later determined to be Butterbaugh’s. Staff told police that Butterbaugh had been inside the salon on the 12th getting a spray tan for about ten minutes while the infant was in the car unsupervised, a complaint states. When speaking with officers, Butterbaugh said she couldn’t remember going to the tanning salon on Dec. 4 because of a traumatic brain injury, an affidavit states. She also confessed to officers that she had left her child in the car while getting a spray tan on Dec. 12, but her child was left alone for only about three minutes, the affidavit states.

Butterbaugh has been charged with two counts of child endangerment. She was booked into Polk County Jail on Tuesday, but has since been released on pre-trial release. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3.

(Radio Iowa) – Inspectors from the Iowa Department of Agriculture partnered with a local shelter to hold an informational session on state standards for pet breeders in rural southeastern Iowa Wednesday. An analysis of U-S-D-A puppy mill citations showed Iowa led the nation in 2022 for the number of violations. One violation from this year that came up at the seminars was a Riverside breeder who had 131 dogs seized. State Representative Dave Jacoby of Coralville says he was surprised by the citations that breeder already had. “What shocked me even more was this puppy mill has gotten three other citations,” Jacoby says.

Jacoby is hoping to strengthen regulations governing commercial breeders during the new legislative session in January. Darlene Olshansky was on her couch when she first heard about a puppy mill bust and Iowa City Shelter needed help. She says the people who went to get them were bringing out crates full of dogs. Olshansky says dogs are still dealing with the impact of inhumane treatment. “It took a lot of work and is still taking a lot of work to get these dogs to trust,” she says.

Iowa accounted for 36 percent puppy mill violations in 2022.

(Radio Iowa) – Former President Donald Trump is urging his supporters to guard against complacency after a recent poll found his lead in Iowa is growing.  “Sometimes, you know, you’re leading by so much, they say: ‘Oh, I think let’s sit home and watch a movie or we’ll watch the results afterwards,'” Trump said. “You don’t want to do that. You’ve got to get out and vote.”

During an event in Coralville last (Wednesday) night, Trump cited the Des Moines Register/N-B-C News/Mediacom “Iowa Poll” which found him leading his closest rival by 32 points. “The more we win by, the more we have a voice. Think of it that way. You’ve got to get out and vote, even if you think we’re going to win. Who knows? You know, sometimes polls are wrong, but that would be record setting, quite frankly,” Trump said, with a laugh, “but you’ve got to get out and vote, vote and then we worry about November. You know, do one thing first.”

Trump calls his 2024 campaign a righteous crusade that will be advanced by a powerful margin of victory in the January 15th Iowa Caucuses. Trump’s speech lasted for nearly an hour and 15 minutes. He reviewed his record and campaign promises and repeated his criticism of Republicans who are backing his G-O-P rivals. “What’s with these politicians, right? What’s with these politicians?” Trump asked.

And Trump singled out New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu who endorsed Nikki Haley Tuesday. “It’s meant nothing,” Trump said. “People are wise to this stuff, you know?

Before the speech, Trump met with some of the Iowans who’ve volunteered to be Caucus captains in their precincts. Trump will return next week for a similar “commit to caucus” event in Waterloo, a signal his current Iowa Caucus campaign is dedicating more resources to identifying Iowa Caucus goers and ensuring they participate on January 15th.