(Radio Iowa) — Spring was no lamb, and summer was coming into Iowa this (Friday) morning like an angry, wet lion. Wide sections of the state were peppered with powerful thunderstorms, strong winds and hail, while a Flash Flood Warning was issued for several west-central Iowa counties. Meteorologist Frank Boksa, at the National Weather Service, says some areas got four inches of rain this morning with more on the way. “Each of these storms is capable of producing a quick half-inch or so of rain and the stronger storms will be producing heavier rainfall,” Boksa says. “The ground is already saturated. We’ve had a couple inches of rain already. With additional storms, we’re expecting ponding of water.”

Urban areas may see street flooding while some rural areas of Iowa have already endured months of high water across tens of thousands of acres of farmland. The ground is pretty saturated and it can’t hold as much water, so once the rain falls, the ground quickly takes what it can and the rest is all going to be runoff, and if you get repeated rounds of this, the runoff is just going to increase,” Boksa says. “Concrete isn’t going to absorb it so it’s going to run somewhere.”

Perfectly on cue, warmer weather is moving into the state on this first day of summer and it’s raising the potential for several weather this afternoon and tonight. “We’re going to get more warm air and more moisture coming in and the potential will be for larger hail, up to golfball-sized, and damaging winds,” Boksa says. “If we should get a line of thunderstorms, there might be the potential for a tornado or two.”

Foul weather will likely last much of the weekend and into Sunday night, he predicts, with clearing, more seasonal weather on Monday.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says one person was arrested at around 5-a.m. today (Friday), after Deputies were called to the area of 110th Street and F Avenue, for a report of a truck and camper parked in the middle of the traveled portion of the road. During their investigation, Deputies from Montgomery and Mills Counties located the owner of the vehicle, who became combative with Deputies. As a result, 41-year old Zachary M. Setterburg, of Shenandoah, was arrested on two counts of Interference with Official Acts, and two counts of Assault on a Peace Officer.

Setterburg was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A state workers union is criticizing what it says is the state’s lack of response to attacks on at least four employees at the state psychiatric care facility in eastern Iowa. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees says assaults over the past two weeks at the Independence Mental Health Institute include a nurse punched in the nose and three residential treatment workers who suffered head or neck injuries.

Union President Danny Homan said in a Wednesday news release that “a safety crisis taking place for the employees, and the state of Iowa is showing no urgency to address it.”
Iowa Human Services Department Matt Highland says workplace injuries at the institute are down from last year and says treatment provided to aggressive patients is often reviewed to help reduce violent incidents.

It’s the same facility from which nurse Tina Suckow was fired days after her federally entitled medical leave expired. Her request for time off without pay was denied. A patient beat Suckow with his fists last October.

Police in Creston report 37-year old Charles Edward Keeton, of Creston, was arrested Thursday morning for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Keaton was being held in the Union County Jail on a $20,000 cash-only bond.

Charles Edward Keeton (Union County S/O photo)

Authorities said also, that with regard to the shooting early Wednesday morning at 1204 N Pine Street, the case is still under investigation and there are no updates to release at this time. The incident was reported at around 2:05-a.m. Wednesday. A woman was discovered at an apartment, suffering from a gun shot wound. She was transported to a hospital in Des Moines. All parties involved were identified. Authorities said the public was not in any danger. The Iowa DCI is assisting the Creston Police Department in the investigation.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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FOREST CITY, Iowa (AP) — A December trial has been scheduled for a former professional football player who’s been accused of being drunk and armed with a handgun while attending a northern Iowa county board meeting. Winnebago County court records say 63-year-old Mike Stensrud pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanors: public intoxication and carrying a firearm while under the influence. His trial is set to begin Dec. 11 at the county courthouse in Forest City.

Police say Stensrud, a Winnebago County supervisor, drank alcohol from a cup during the May 21 meeting, and an alcohol breath test showed his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit for driving. Police say the Stensrud acknowledged having a pistol, which an officer found in one of Stensrud’s pockets. Stensrud played at Iowa State before going pro. He retired from the National Football League in 1989.

(Radio Iowa) — The summer season officially arrives later this (Friday) morning and with it, an elevated risk of serious or deadly accidents as Iowans seek to cool off in the water. Mindy Uhle, an executive officer with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says if you’ll be on or near the water for fishing, boating or swimming, whether it’s a backyard pool, a lake or river, remember these life-saving tips. “We would encourage everyone to learn how to swim. Keep a close eye on your children. For young children and children who are non-swimmers, keep those kids at arm’s reach at all times,” Uhle says. “Use lifejackets, for non-swimmers and anytime you’re out boating or out doing recreational activities on lakes and rivers.”

Learning how to perform C-P-R takes two or three hours, depending on the course, and it’s a skill you can use for a lifetime. “There are lots of organizations that teach it,” Uhle says. “It is very accessible and it is something we would recommend learning if you are going to be around water or in a caregiver role.” Nationally, drowning kills more children between the ages of one and four than anything else except birth defects.

“Last year, we had 48 drowning deaths in Iowa,” Uhle says. “It’s been pretty stable. The average for the last five years is somewhere in between 40 and 50. Interestingly enough, about 70% of our drowning victims are male and almost 35% of our drowning deaths occur in lakes, rivers and streams.” A report from the Centers for Disease Control says ten people die from drowning every day nationwide, about one in every five is a child under the age of 14. Summer arrives today at 10:54 A-M Central time.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A California man has pleaded guilty in Iowa to child sexual exploitation. Prosecutors say 21-year-old David Vogelpohl, of Vista, California, entered the plea Thursday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. He admitted that he persuaded a girl under 18 to engage in sexually explicit conduct last year for the purpose of producing visual depictions.

Vogelpohl’s sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled. Prosecutors say he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years.

(Radio Iowa) — Eight people accused of distributing more than six pounds of ice meth in eastern Iowa will spend a total of 97 years in prison. The eight admitted to distributing the drug in Dubuque after it was brought in from a Mexican drug cartel. Thirty-six-year-old Keith Ellis, 40 -year-old Brenda Harker and 41-year-old Samuel Oliver Taylor the third — are from Dubuque, while the remaining five are from Arizona, Wisconsin and California. Ellis will serve more than 13 years in prison, Harker more than six years — and Taylor will serve 15 years. Taylor’s sentence is the longest of the eight people involved as he also pleaded guilty to money laundering and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The others involved in the case include:

• Joshua Allen Carter, age 33, from Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced to 124 month’s imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release following his May 21, 2018 guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
• Michael Scott Boen, age 26, from Potosi, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment and 4 years’ supervised release following his July 11, 2018 guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
• Melissa Marie Petesch, age 30, from Hazel Green, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment and 3 years’ supervised release following her June 12, 2018 guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, conspiring to commit money laundering, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
• Jose Juan Ceja, age 25, from Bell Gardens, California, was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release following his June 28, 2018 guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
• Mauricio Bayardo Chan, age 21, from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, was sentenced to 300 months’ imprisonment and 5 years’ supervised release following his August 1, 2018 guilty plea to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and conspiring to commit money laundering.