ATHENS COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A trip into “dark web” drug deals has resulted in the arrest of an Iowa man for allegedly selling thousands of dollars in narcotics to college students in Ohio using bitcoin. ABC News reports 42-year old Anthony Scott Boeckholt of Forest City was arrested on Jan. 29 for allegedly selling drugs including fentanyl to two students in Athens, Ohio. Two drug overdose deaths in 2017 at Ohio University in Athens have been linked to the investigation surrounding Boeckholt.
GEORGE, IA (IRN) – A 10-year-old girl has died in a house fire. The Sioux City Journal reports that Riley Meyer, a third grader at Central Lyon Elementary School, died when her family’s house in George burned early Sunday. The blaze took several hours to extinguish and the effort was complicated by cold temperatures that caused water from the trucks to repeatedly freeze. George is a town of about 1,000 people, located about 40 miles north of Le Mars.
WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – A Waterloo School District bus was involved in an accident with four other vehicles this morning in Waterloo. KWWL-TV reports no students were on board the time of the accident. Three people, including the bus driver, suffered minor injuries.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A 23-year-old man is behind bars Tuesday in connection with a brutal 2017 sexual assault. KCCI-TV reports Ames police arrested Devontez Voigts for allegedly kidnapping and sexually abusing a woman at an Ames Park last January. Voigts allegedly dragged the victim from her car into the park while covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream. Police say she was sexually assaulted at length, and that the attack was “random.”
DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A 19-year-old man is facing a criminal charge for sexual acts with a 13-year-old girl. KCRG-TV reports the charge against Noah Neyens is third degree sexual abuse. Police say it happened at a house in Dubuque last May. Officers arrested him Tuesday after confirming his DNA matched that found in a sexual assault kit taken from the girl.
DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Transportation reports it had 285 trucks on roadways on Tuesday, but their plows weren’t alone. County and city plows across the state were also in operation, and countless private plows worked to push snow as well. Officials say drivers working 12-14 hour days may lead to fatigue that could either impact safety or travel conditions.
IOWA (IRN) – If the election for Iowa governor were held today, incumbent Republican Kim Reynolds would likely defeat all five of the leading Democrats trying to succeed her as the state’s chief executive. The new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll suggests two of those would-be challengers, state Sen. Nate Boulton and retired businessman Fred Hubbell, are more competitive with Reynolds than other Democrats in the race. While that’s good news for Reynolds, she doesn’t garner more than 44% of the vote in any matchup, as 22% of those polled are unsure who they would vote for.