Thursday, September 5, 2019

BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – Linemen from eastern Iowa are ready to help people in the southeastern United States affected by Hurricane Dorian. KCRG-TV reports more than 80 MidAmerican Energy employees are waiting in the Raleigh area, including four from Waterloo, two from Hampton and two from Charles City. They left Tuesday from Bettendorf and don’t yet know when or where they’ll be sent, or what they’ll need to do to help out.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – Parents of a five-year-old boy with Down Syndrome become the second family to file a lawsuit this year involving Ankeny School District’s busing company, Durham School Services. WHO-TV reports the parents say their son was left to ride the school bus for three hours without access to a bathroom, food, or ability to talk to his parents before he eventually arrived at his final destination.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Traffic cameras have now been ticketing drivers who speed and run select red rights in Cedar Rapids for about two months. KCRG-TV reports over 24,000 citations were issued over a 60-day period. At this pace, the city will make about $8 million over the course of a year.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Two Davenport families are without places to stay after getting conned through a rental property scam. WQAD-TV reports the people were desperate to get a place to rent, and gave the scammer a copy of their driver’s license, a check stub, and a copy of their debit card to process the payments. They hadn’t seen the property, and when they couldn’t find it they knew they were scammed.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines attorney is unveiling her life as a part-time prostitute.
KCCI-TV reports the mom, wife, attorney and prostitute, Katherine Sears, hopes that by shining a light on her lifestyle, she can help decriminalize prostitution.“I like sex,” Sears said. “Sex is fun and I can get paid for it.” She began working as a prostitute three years ago, at the age of 27. Sears travels to Nevada, where prostitution is legal, and works in a brothel. While Sears said she’s shy, she feels empowered being a sex worker.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

OMAHA, NE (IRN) – A retired pastor for the Oskaloosa Central United Methodist Church has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old Nebraska boy in 2017. KETV reports David Holmes, 82, is one of three men now serving time in Nebraska for sexually assaulting the same teen. Prosecutors said Holmes messaged the child through the app, Grindr. Holmes told investigators he introduced the teen to 64-year-old Robert Recoy. Recoy was uncooperative with investigators and police later found him dead in his home with 13 pill bottles and a glass of wine next to him. Two other men are currently serving time in connection to the case.

WASHINGTON, IA (IRN) – A Washington, Iowa man was arrested at a nursing home where he worked and charged with abuse. KCII-Radio reports authorities responded to a reported assault at Pearl Valley Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Officers arrested 26-year-old David Wayne Croft for intentional dependent adult abuse causing injury. He’s in jail.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – On Saturday, West Des Moines resident Ardy Arco received a call no one wants to hear, according to WHO-TV. Arco says, “In the afternoon I got a call from my sister, ‘hey there is a shooting in Texas. I’m OK, but I can’t find dad.” He frantically waited for hours while his sister searched through Odessa, its hospitals and the scene for any signs of their dad. Eventually, she came across his semi truck, crashed on the side of the road, bullet holes in the door and driver’s window. Their father was killed in the shootings.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A Des Moines couple say they awoke Monday to find burned remains of the American flag hanging in front of their home. KCCI-TV reports the couple woke up Labor Day morning to find that their flag had been set aflame. The woman said other American flags in her neighborhood were left intact and she wonders if their home was targeted.

OMAHA, NE (IRN) – An August survey of business supply managers suggests slow or no economic growth over the next several months in nine Midwest and Plains states. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says “weakness in the region’s farm and manufacturing sectors produced by tariffs and a global economic slowdown pulled regional growth below that of the nation.”

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A bystander pulled a 19-year-old woman from a fiery crash in Cedar Rapids yesterday, according to KWWL-TV. The woman sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She’s a suspect in an incident where a vehicle struck several vehicles in a parking lot prior to the crash.

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

A New York man is being held in the Adair County Jail on over $1 million bond after Stuart Police responded to an alleged victim of a cross state kidnapping Saturday. Raccoon Valley Radio reports officers were dispatched to a 911 call from a woman at Casey’s General Store. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the caller, Amber Garrison of Smyrna, New York. Garrison informed officers that she was kidnapped from a Pennsylvania truck stop in mid-July. She said that she had been assaulted on several occasions and been forced to remain with the truck driver as he traveled through multiple states. She was transported to the Adair County Hospital for treatment of several injuries. A search warrant was conducted of the semi and after the initial investigation officers arrested James Scott Smith of Mexico, New York. He faces multiple charges.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – An Iowa agency is keeping secret a list of about two dozen former criminal offenders who were improperly granted credentials to work for private security firms. KCCI-TV reports the Iowa Department of Public Safety denied an open records request Friday that sought the identities of those individuals whose security cards were recently revoked. The revocations came after the discovery that the department granted 5,800 private security employees’ credentials to work in Iowa without undergoing mandatory federal criminal background checks.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A traffic stop in Cedar Rapids Friday night resulted in the arrest of a Tennessee man. KCRG-TV reports officers stopped a vehicle driven by 27-year-old Torrance T. Brown of Chattanooga. Brown was asked several times to get out of his vehicle but refused and continued to refuse after warning they would release a K9 into the vehicle. Brown was eventually apprehended with assistance from the K9, and was arrested on federal warrants for heroin distribution and a local charge of interference with official acts. He was taken to the hospital for treatment of a dog bite and then taken to the Linn County Jail.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One juvenile was transported to a hospital after a shooting on Monday near Drake University. KCCI-TV reports he was shot in the leg, and is expected to recover. Three suspects were detained and a rifle was recovered.

GRIMES, IA (IRN) – A Grimes man was hospitalized with serious burns after the boat he was working on caught fire yesterday. The fire was contained to the garage.

MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – A man was injured early this morning when he drove into a train in Mason City. KIMT-TV reports he was hospitalized in fair condition. The crash happened shortly before 2:00 a.m.

Monday, September 2, 2019

BLOOMFIELD, IA (IRN) – A Cantril, Iowa man convicted of molesting a teenager will spend the next 10 years of his life behind bars. Glen Downing pleaded guilty in June to Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Third-Degree Sexual Abuse. Prior to his arrest, Downing was employed as a substitute teacher in the Davis County Community School District.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man was accidentally shot in the head Saturday night near Drake University, according to KCCI-TV. He is expected to recover.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The East Village has been a part of the Des Moines community for 165 years. Today, it’s one of Iowa’s most treasured historic districts. Four blocks and 40 buildings within the East Village are now a part of the National Register of Historic Places.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – An Iowa sailor killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 will finally be laid to rest. William Shanahan’s remains went unidentified until recently. Shanahan’s sister, Mary Lou Shanahan Pierce, donated DNA almost 20 years ago. Finally, in May, that DNA sample found a match and William’s remains were positively identified. A burial with full military honors is planned for Tuesday at the family plot in Cedar Rapids. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to fly half-staff from sunrise to sunset to honor Shanahan.