WEST DES MOINES – A teacher at Dowling High School has pled guilty to having sexual contact with a student. KCCI-TV reports Kristen Gantt was teaching English when she was arrested last spring. Police say she admitted to attempting to seduce a student in her classroom multiple times. She faces up to two years in prison. PLEASANT HILL – An increasing number of reports of violence in schools has led to another arrest. WHO-13 reports a Southeast Polk Junior High student was charged with making terrorist threats. Pleasant Hill police say that they received information about the potential threat late last week and found the individual they believe to be responsible. Ever since the tragic shooting in Perry, more than a dozen Iowa school districts have received various threats of violence, and several students have been arrested. POLK COUNTY – The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case State of Iowa v. Faron Alan Starr during a special evening session in Des Moines. The event will be held on Monday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue. The evening session is open to the public and provides an opportunity for residents who may not be able to attend the court’s regular morning and afternoon sessions to watch the court conduct oral arguments in person. The Polk County Bar Association will sponsor a public reception with the supreme court justices in the Judicial Branch Building following the oral arguments. DES MOINES – The Greater Des Moines Committee will recognize Ray Cole, Robert J. Denson and Roger C. Underwood as the 2023 inductees to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. The inductees will be honored during the Greater Des Moines Committee’s Annual Induction Event on Wednesday, May 1 at The Meadows Events and Conference Center. The Iowa Business Hall of Fame honors the achievements of Iowans who have made outstanding contributions to the development and enhancement of Iowa’s business climate.

DALLAS COUNTY – A person of interest in a Minnesota homicide was arrested in Iowa last week. KCCI-TV reports 32-year-old Arlene Bell was placed in custody for unrelated charges in Dallas County near Van Meter. The Faribault Police Department in Minnesota say Bell was in a relationship with 70 year old Gary Lehmeyer, who was found dead recently. Police say she was driving his car in Iowa. DUBUQUE – A Dubuque man accused of killing his mother and her dog is undergoing mental evaluation before trial. KCRG-TV reports Tyler Dazey will receive a competency test after a judge granted a request late last week. Dazey was arrested last month after his mother and her dog were found dead with several violent injuries. He faces charges of first degree murder and animal abuse causing death. OSKALOOSA – Officials say a child is recovering after being hit by a semi in Oskaloosa Friday. KCCI-TV reports the minor was trying to cross a highway when being struck by the large vehicle. The child is expected to survive; the driver was not cited and released from the scene. LAS VEGAS – A pair of college football graduates who shined in the state borders came up just short of their first Super Bowl win. The Brock Purdy and George Kittle-led San Francisco 49ers found themselves on the wrong end of the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs dynasty in a 25-22 game in Las Vegas. The former Cyclone quarterback Purdy threw for 255 yards and didn’t commit a turnover, while the former Hawkeyes tight end Kittle only caught two passes for four yards.

ALTOONA – A Des Moines man faces more than a dozen new charges after he was caught attempting to meet a minor. KCCI-TV reports 28 year old Bradly Delk was arrested in Altoona Wednesday and charged with sexual exploitation. Delk is accused of attempting to meet a teenage girl, who was instead a detective. Delk faces previous charges for sexually abusing a 12 year old girl in Jasper County. DAVENPORT– An Iowa City man was sentenced this week to 180 months in federal prison for Receipt or Distribution of Child Pornography. Michael Joseph Schmidt, 27, was identified by the Johnson County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office Joint Forensic Analysis Cyber Team) for uploading child sexual abuse material to Kik. In April 2022, agents executed a search warrant on Schmidt’s residence. Multiple electronic devices were located at Schmidt’s residence that contained numerous images of child sexual abuse material. DES MOINES – Lawmakers are advancing a bill that would allow more staff members to be armed in school buildings. KCRG-TV reports House Study Bill 675 requires larger school districts to hire a private school security officer or partner with a local police agency for a school resource officer, establishing grants for the hires. However, another proposal would make it easier for staff or administration to carry guns in school. Some districts have attempted to arm teachers, but their insurance companies then refused to protect the school, weighing the risk for potential accidents. MARTENSDALE – Another Iowa school district is joining others in establishing a four-day school week. WHO-13 reports that Martensdale-St. Mary’s is joining a growing number of others with a shorter week, opting out of Monday classes as a way to attract talent and save money. Several smaller districts in Iowa are considering the move, including Melcher-Dallas and Twin Cedars in Marion County.

IOWA – More records for heat fell Thursday across the state. According to the National Weather Service, high temperatures broke 25 year old records in Des Moines, Waterloo, and Mason City as some locations saw thermometers climb into the mid 60s. While a bit cooler starting today, well above average conditions will continue over the next week. NEVADA – An Iowa man is facing multiple charges after he allegedly threw an adult woman into his car and sped off while she dangled out of an open door. WHO-13 reports on Monday that police responded to an SUV driving with the back door open and a woman yelling for help. Leroy Carl Vanhoff is accused of showing up at the victim’s house, throwing her into his car, and speeding off with the door open, court documents state. The victim told police she eventually fell out of the vehicle on a gravel road while Vanhoff was traveling at high speeds. Vanhoff was charged with third-degree kidnapping, assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, and other violations. DES MOINES – Iowa’s libraries remain a target of conservative lawmakers in Des Moines. The Gazette reports House Study Bill 678 aims to dismantle independent library boards that oversee operations at facilities across the state, and passed in a subcommittee over dozens of objections of both in-person and online public comments. The measure introduced by Republicans appears to be a response to their opposition to content shared housed by libraries statewide, and would give direct control to city councils. The legislation comes after Pella voters defeated a measure that would have given the council control over library affairs.

DES MOINES – A Des Moines man was sentenced to 32 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of charges related to firearms straw purchasing and illegally possessing firearms and a machinegun. According to court documents, 27 year old Dontavius Rashawn Sharkey, a member of the C-Block gang, open-fired with two firearms into a crowd of people attending a baby shower at a Des Moines apartment complex, believing them to be members of a rival gang. Three teens were struck by Sharkey’s bullets, causing serious injuries to each. Following the shooting, Sharkey, a convicted felon, recruited an individual to illegally purchase him multiple firearms from various gun stores in the Des Moines area. One of those firearms was recovered by law enforcement in 2022. During that search warrant, Sharkey ran from police with this loaded firearm, which he had converted to a machinegun with an auto-switch. KEOKUK — A Keokuk man has been charged for seriously injuring his father in a dispute over food. WHO-13 reports the Keokuk Police Department responded to a disturbance on January 22nd. Officers on scene found 85 year old Gary Rockenbach suffering from serious injuries. Officers learned that Gary had been assaulted by his son, 43-year-old Craig Rockenbach, after a disagreement over food. At that time Craig was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury. He was later booked into the Lee County Jail. Officers learned Gary suffered from internal injuries connected to the assault. The Lee County Attorney’s Office increased the charge to willful injury causing serious injury, a class C felony. Gary has since passed away at a medical facility. WOODBURY COUNTY – A sentencing date has been set for a Woodbury County woman found guilty of over dozens of counts of election fraud. KTIV reports Kim Taylor is scheduled on April 1st. Taylor, the wife of Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, was convicted of 52 counts of election fraud. Kim faces a possible penalty of five years in prison per count. PERRY – Governor Kim Reynolds has issued an extension of a proclamation that authorizes the use and deployment of all available state resources, supplies, equipment, and materials to continue to assist Dallas County and the Perry Community in their response to and recovery from the tragic January 4th shooting at Perry High School. The proclamation extension is effective immediately and continues through March 6th. The Department of Public Safety, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, and other state agencies have been supporting the community since the shooting on January 4th. The proclamation activates the emergency authorities of all state agencies, prompts enhanced coordination processes at the State Emergency Operations Center, and removes any administrative barriers to providing state resources and assistance in the days and weeks ahead.