DES MOINES – The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to identify any potential victims of former West Des Moines gymnastics coach Sean Michael Gardner. According to allegations in the criminal complaint, between December 2017 and April 2018, the now 38-year-old placed a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi. Gardner created multiple videos depicting minors in stages of undress. Gardner moved from Mississippi to Iowa in 2018 to coach at a gym in West Des Moines. Police searched Gardner’s apartment in late May 2025. Forensic examination of electronic devices seized from Gardner’s West Des Moines apartment uncovered the hidden camera recordings taken in the Mississippi gym bathroom.

IOWA – Iowa Democrats are exploring the possibility of trying to maintain the state’s previous longstanding first-in-the-nation status among presidential nominators in 2028. Party Chair Rita Hart sent out a survey to determine options after the national party moved Iowa away from being the first stop for presidential candidates in 2024. The Des Moines Register reports the Democratic National Convention won’t likely decide on their national plan until after the 2026 Midterms, however, they are discussing the process about who will go first at their summer meeting on August 25th. Iowa law requires the major parties in the state to maintain an in-person caucus and to be the first in the country ahead of general elections.

IOWA – Teenage drivers were responsible for just over 65,000 car crashes in Iowa over the last five years. The Iowa Department of Transportation released a data portal that allows anyone to view crashes involving 14-19 year olds. KCCI-TV reports the vast majority of those incidents occur after school during the 3 p.m. hour. Most of the collisions were rear-ending incidents, according to the Iowa DOT.