COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a Nebraska man accused of threatening Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. U.S. Magistrate Judge Helen Adams on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 64-year-old Robert Simet, of Omaha, from the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs, to the Douglas County Jail in Omaha, where he’ll be held while undergoing an evaluation. Simet is charged with threatening a U-S official.

An arrest affidavit says employees of a motorcycle shop in Pacific Junction, Iowa, told an FBI agent that Simet had been there July 5th. During that visit, Simet made several statements about Ernst, including that he believes she is a member of the Islamic State group and that he “could kill” her during a July 10 event at the motorcycle shop.

Officials with the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) have announced the release of the Community Services Network (CSN) 3.0. The system is used by county community services professionals and providers to manage budgets, payments, client information, and outcomes data.

CSN is a robust, web-based management information system that is currently used by 98 counties in Iowa. Polk County will begin using the system this year. CSN launched in January 2010 for the primary purposes of tracking and managing mental health data by county community services departments. CSN now handles all aspects of client care coordination including case notes, funding authorizations, financial services such as claim payments, integration with county auditor’s accounting systems and budgeting.

Within the past two years the system has expanded to offer functionality to additional county departments including General Assistance, Substance Abuse, and Veteran Affairs. The latest release has improved the experience of the end user, enhanced and improved security, added many new features, as well as integrated community services providers into CSN.

CSN is regularly audited and has been certified as fully HIPAA compliant. The system also incorporates the additional Iowa Code security regulations, and users are required to follow strict security guidelines to keep consumer information safe and secure. The mental health disability services system recently shifted from a county to a region-based system. CSN helped to allow counties to undertake the transition more easily.

Bill Peterson, ISAC Executive Director stated, “CSN 3.0 will continue to help government employees do their job efficiently and accurately while saving costs for the tax paying citizens of Iowa.”

If interested in learning more about how your agency or entity can use CSN, please contact ISAC’s IT Manager, Jeanine Scott, 515.244.7181

The Creston Police Department reports a local woman was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a Union County warrant for Assault. 20-year old Mandee Barnes, of Creston, was taken into custody at around 1:45-p.m. and subsequently released on a $300 bond. And, 19-year old Isaac Hayes, of Johnston, was arrested in Creston a little 12-a.m. today (Wednesday) on a Guthrie County warrant for Probation Violation. Hayes was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting transport to Guthrie County.

Creston Police said also, a woman living in an apartment in the 100 block of Manor Drive, in Creston, reported on July 5th, that sometime between July 2nd and 4th, her debit card was fraudulently used to purchase digital downloads from Microsoft through her old XBox account. The loss was estimated at $25.

PIERCE, Neb. (AP) – A pilot has been flown to an Iowa hospital after the crash of his crop-dusting plane in northeast Nebraska. The Pierce County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office says first responders were sent around 2 p.m. Tuesday to a field 7 miles west and 2 miles north of Pierce. The plane was spraying fields before the crash.

The unidentified pilot was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City for treatment. The Sheriff’s Office says the plane is owned by Bloomfield Ag & Aerial Service. The cause of the crash is being investigated.