DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – A former youth counselor at Four Oaks juvenile facility was arrested after she allegedly helped three juveniles escape and had sex with one of them. WQAD-TV reports 19-year-old Hannah Rose Fitzpatrick, of Marion, is charged with sexual misconduct with a youth offender in her custody.

OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – A 16-year-old who took a loaded handgun into Ottumwa High School has been charged with a felony. The Ottumwa Courier reports the school resource officer and a school administrator found the gun and a knife in the student’s backpack Thursday. He was arrested and charged with carrying a weapon on school grounds. The boy showed the gun to another student, who then notified a teacher who alerted the resource officer.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Voters are claiming to have been denied their right to vote in Tuesday’s special election in Polk County because they didn’t have a photo ID, according to KCCI-TV. The 1-cent sales tax came up 227 votes short of passing, and some have speculated the state’s new voter ID law could have affected the outcome. Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald said, “some of the poll workers got confused…a lot of things went wrong on Tuesday.”

PLYMOUTH COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A retired Plymouth County judge has admitted that “a couple hundred” of his rulings actually were written by attorneys involved in those same cases, sometimes without the knowledge of the opposing counsel. The Des Moines Register reports
former Judge Edward Jacobson’s admission prompted a sharp rebuke from the Iowa Supreme Court, who issued a statement Thursday saying Jacobson’s conduct could undermine “public confidence in our system of justice.”

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – A woman who was forced to view sexually explicit photos and video of her examiner during a driving test is suing the Iowa Department of Transportation for damages. KCCI-TV reports the 49-year-old was seeking a license when she was paired with 62-year-old John Alexander for the test at the Ankeny DOT station in 2016. Alexander was fired and was sentenced to probation.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – No one was injured when a car was driven off the road Thursday morning into a body of water in Council Bluffs. KETV reports the 58-year-old man said he looked away from the road and lost control, driving off the road and into a body of water at a park. Police say alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

ANKENY, IA (IRN) – President Trump announced a new tariff on imported steel and aluminum on Thursday but Iowa businesses are already paying for it. WHO-TV reports Kinzler Construction has seen significant increases in the price for steel studs and other materials they distribute in Ankeny. Suppliers raised prices starting last week. Suppliers say the price hikes are being passed on from steel mills. Local craft brewers say the aluminum tariff is a concern for their businesses as well.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – More than 100 roosters were seized Thursday from a home in Des Moines, according to KCCI-TV. A neighbor says they called police when they saw six men standing in the backyard of the house, slamming roosters to the ground and forcing the animals to fight. No arrests have been made.

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa school counselors are responsible for too many students, according to the American School Counselor Association. KCRG-TV reports the association recommends that each counselor’s caseload should be no more than 250 students. Iowa’s average ratio is almost double that, with one counselor per 418 students.

AVOCA, IA (IRN) – A western Iowa man has been charged after his son took some of his marijuana to school. KETV reports the fourth-grader found a small bag of pot in his dad’s bedroom in Avoca, took it to school that day and gave it to school officials, who contacted law enforcement. 30-year-old James Mills is charged with child endangerment and possession of marijuana. Mills told investigators his son did the right thing, but he’s innocent.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA (IRN) – A young woman who tried to claim $50,000 she won from an Iowa scratch-off lottery ticket has been charged with fraud–she was too young to buy the ticket.
The Daily Nonpareil reports that Katelyn Dolezal, of Macedonia, was 19 when she bought the ticket, while state law requires players to be 21. A relative went to the Iowa Lottery office to claim the prize for Dolezal, and a check was issued in the relative’s name. Dolezal later called the lottery office for help because the relative wasn’t going to share the money with her.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police were searching a Des Moines neighborhood for an armed robber Thursday morning. KCCI-TV reports the armed man robbed a Godfather’s Pizza and fled on foot.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police say a man arrested for a hit and run on Tuesday night crashed his car intentionally. WHO-TV reports 30-year-old Othownh Kir crashed the car in an attempt to injure his passenger. Police say Kir believed the passenger “snitched” on him to police. Kir faces multiple charges.

FAYETTE – Two nursing assistants have been arrested for allegedly having sexual relations with patients at Prairie View Residential Care Facility in Fayette, according to the Mason City Globe Gazette. Authorities also allege that 23-year-old Paige Lynn Johanningmeier and 26-year-old Megan Marie Penney harbored the patients when they fled the care facility and were being sought as missing persons.

DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – The Dubuque School District is warning parents to watch out for fake social media accounts. KCRG-TV reports a fake account posted a school cancellation, but administrators don’t believe it had any impact. The district says this is a good reminder to parents to check social media accounts closely.

OSCEOLA, IA (IRN) – It’s official. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is running for a full term this year, according to KCCI-TV. She assumed the governorship when former Gov. Terry Branstad was appointed U.S. ambassador to China. She kicked off her campaign at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in her hometown of Osceola, where supporters greeted her with cheers.

STORM LAKE, IA (IRN) – Six northwest Iowa men and women are behind bars, all accused of abusing three kids for years. KELO reports the children’s mother was deported from the United States several years ago, so the kids moved in with their dad and his family. Police started an investigation when the Iowa Department of Human Services reported that their father was using meth. Police found evidence of ongoing physical abuse, saying the father and his family members beat the kids — ages 7, 8 and 11 — with hangers, shoes and kitchen utensils.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines police have one person in custody after a homicide at a home near Drake Park. KCCI-TV reports dispatchers received a report of a fight. After responding, officers found a dead adult male. Additionally, police said earlier around 1 a.m., police were called to the same residence over a dispute and one person was taken into custody. Police cannot say yet if that is related to the homicide.

SIBLEY, IA (IRN) – Authorities have charged a driver whose sport utility vehicle collided with a car in northwest Iowa, fatally injuring the car driver and his 5-year-old son. KWWL-TV reports the accident occurred June 10, near Sibley. 49-year-old Ann Vanderpool, of Milford, faces two counts of vehicular homicide while driving intoxicated.

URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – A former Urbandale city employee is facing charges for allegedly stealing nearly $50,000 worth of computer equipment and then selling it on eBay. WHO-TV reports police arrested 40-year-old Chad Nielsen, a former Information Technology Specialist.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill is moving forward in the Statehouse that would radically change how the Iowa Supreme Court declares laws unconstitutional. KCCI-TV reports the bill would require justices to deliver a supermajority vote of 5-2 instead of a simple, 4-3 majority. The Iowa Bar Association calls the bill a “power grab,” but bill sponsor Sen. Julian Garrett, R-Indianola, argues the supermajority would “return” power back to the people. Garrett says four judges on the Iowa Supreme Court wield too much power to overturn laws.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A bill is now on the governor’s desk that would impact how Iowa grocers sell eggs. KCRG-TV reports the bill would require grocers participating in WIC, the food program for young mothers, to carry specific eggs. Those eggs include ones made at factory farms, along with with free range or cage free eggs. Supporters of the bill say it ensures low income people have a low cost choice for protein, but critics say it is direct interference in the marketplace.

SOLON, IA (IRN) – Students from a small Iowa high school will soon become “Juke Box Heroes,” as they prepare to take the stage with legendary rock band, Foreigner. The choir from Solon High School won a contest, hosted by KRNA radio, where they auditioned with a cover of the band’s hit song, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Despite going up against much bigger schools, they received nearly half of the total votes.