POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY – Several tornadoes touched down in western and central Iowa Friday, causing damage from Crawford to Union and Ringgold Counties to Polk and Jasper in Iowa. Perhaps the worst hit community was Minden, about 30 minutes northeast of Council Bluffs, with several flattened structures. Gov. Kim Reynolds has already issued a disaster proclamation for Pottawattamie County in response to severe weather that occurred. The National Weather Service will begin storm surveys today, but their work may only be starting, as another round of severe weather is possible across the southern half of the state late Saturday into early Sunday morning, with significant hail and rainfall as the primary threats.

DELAWARE COUNTY – One person has died in a multiple vehicle crash in Delaware County. The Iowa State Patrol reports the driver of a Polaris Ranger UTV failed to stop at an intersection in a rural part of the county and was struck by a Chevy Silverado. The operator of the UTV has died, but the name is being withheld for now. Both occupants of the truck were injured but not transported to a hospital.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg will induct the 2024 Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame members and present the Excellence in Mentoring awards to two individuals in a ceremony at the Iowa State Capitol building on Tuesday.

Being selected for the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame is the most prestigious state level honor volunteers can receive as recognition of extraordinary donations of volunteer service to their communities. The 2024 Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame inductees are:

Robert (Bob) Allbee, Muscatine
Celeste M. Lawson, Des Moines
Vicki Leonard, Dubuque
Daniel L. Lopez, Des Moines
Refugee and Immigrant Association, Iowa City
SALUD – Multicultural Health Center of Storm Lake, Storm Lake

SAC COUNTY – The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner conducted a forensic autopsy on the body discovered in Sac County on April 24th. The body has been positively identified through dental records as that of 53-year-old David Schultz of Wall Lake. Schultz was located in a farm field in the 1900 block of Union Ave. in Sac County. He was reported missing in November of 2023 when his semi was found with his identification and cell phone inside. Preliminary autopsy results show no signs of trauma or serious injury. Further autopsy test results are pending. Authorities do not suspect foul play in the death of Schultz.

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she will lead a trade mission to India later this year. The trade mission is planned for September 13-22 and will include Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and a delegation of agricultural and business leaders. The trade mission is being organized by the Iowa Economic Development Authority with support from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Commercial Service. While the itinerary is still being developed, Gov. Reynolds is expected to meet with business and government leaders in Mumbai and New Delhi. Iowa companies will participate in meetings specific to their market entry or expansion needs.

BURLINGTON – A Burlington woman was sentenced this week to thirty years in federal prison for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking of a child, and sex trafficking three adult victims. According to public court documents, 32-year-old Miesha Lasha Stanley used force, fraud, and coercion to compel victims to engage in sex acts with customers in exchange for money. Stanley took some or all of the money that the victims earned. Stanley used the victims’ vulnerabilities, which included lack of stable housing, drug addiction, abusive relationships, and lack of familial support, to compel them to engage in paid sex acts. Stanley also conspired with co-defendant Rosella Marie Taylor to sex traffic one of the victims. The 36-year-old Taylor was sentenced to 122 months of imprisonment for conspiring to sex traffic, attempting to sex traffic, and sex trafficking two victims.

SAC COUNTY – The family of a missing Sac County man believes his body has been discovered by police. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports that the Sac County Sheriff’s Office received a call from someone who discovered a body in his field — and DCI reported it was found near the intersection of where authorities found the empty semi of David Schultz last November. The man’s family told KCCI-TV they are under the impression that Schultz was identified by his boots and was confirmed to them to be the body. The remains are being transported to the Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office for a forensic autopsy.

HARRISON COUNTY – The victim in the April 21st Harrison County homicide has been identified as 53-year-old Douglas Lynn Manley. The Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner has ruled Manley’s death as a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. Sebastin O’Brien remains in the Harrison County Jail on no bond with a charge of First Degree Murder and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 1st. O’Brien was arrested by police after a rollover crash. He was driving a vehicle belonging to Manley, according to court records.

DUBUQUE – A former priest in Dubuque has been arrested in connection with sexual abuse charges in the 1980s. Leo Patrick Riley was charged on Wednesday with five counts of second degree child abuse. KCRG-TV reports Dubuque Police coordinated with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida to complete the arrest. Four people reported being abused by Riley when he was the associate pastor of Resurrection Parish in Dubuque from 1984-1986.

IOWA – An active weather pattern returns to the state over the next three days. Multiple rounds of thunderstorms could bring several chances for severe weather and heavy rainfall totals Friday through Sunday. The best chance for severe conditions will be in the southern half of the state, but precipitation totals exceeding two-to-three inches will be common across all of Iowa.

NEVADA – A Central Iowa school district is working with the Story County Sheriff’s Office as it relates to AI-generated explicit images of students. KCCI-TV reports parents in the Nevada district are worried there won’t be anyone held accountable because Iowa’s code is not clear on the offending pictures. The Sheriff’s Office is looking into several AI-generated images that depict female students and have been spread amongst others in the school. A bill signed by Governor Kim Reynolds includes felony language to create media of minors in explicit situations, but it doesn’t go into effect until July 1st.

BURLINGTON – Residents in southeast Iowa have been asked to avoid a creek following a fertilizer spill. KCRG-TV reports a 700-gallon tank with ammonium phosphate fell off of a truck in Burlington. An unknown amount of fertilizer spilled onto the street and into a storm sewer that drains into Hawkeye Creek. The Iowa DNR have found contamination and are working to prevent impacts before it would get to the Mississippi River.

DAVENPORT – Am Iowa City man was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Mixture and Substance Containing a Detectable Amount of Heroin Resulting in Death. According to court documents, on January 23, 2021, Iowa City Police officers were dispatched to a residence in Iowa City related to a suspected overdose. After investigation, Dione Dante Mobley (a.k.a. “Flee”), 43, and Lugene Shipp, 43, were identified as the source of the heroin and both were arrested for conspiracy to distribute heroin. Mobley and Shipp were both convicted after a trial last fall. Today, Mobley was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment. Shipp was previously sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment.