Police in Creston this (Tuesday) afternoon issued a report on an injury accident that occurred at around 9:25-a.m. July 4th. Officials said the accident happened at the intersection of Pine and Summitt Streets, when a 2011 Chevy Equinox SUV driven by 40-year old Bobbie Jo Wilson, of Creston, failed to yield the right-of-way, and struck a 1996 Oldsmobile Cutless Ciera driven by 59-year old Steven Robert Loomis, of Creston. Loomis suffered minor/non-incapacitating injuries and refused medical transport. A passenger in his car, 64-year old Sally Jo Loomis, of Creston, was injured and transported by Steven Loomis to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston.

(UPDATE) OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a man died after riding a horse into a southeast Iowa farm pond. The Ottumwa Courier reports that medics and Wapello County sheriff’s deputies were called Sunday evening to the farm, which sits a few miles west of Ottumwa. Wapello County Sheriff Mark Miller said Tuesday that witnesses reported 40-year-old Jose Perez-Ochoa, of Blakesburg, had ridden the horse into the pond more than once over the objection of friends also riding.

The witnesses told officials it was clear the horse didn’t want to go into the pond. Miller says the horse rolled backward the last time it was led into the pond, knocking Perez-Ochoa into the water. Miller says the horse walked unharmed out of the water, but Perez-Ochoa went under.

Searchers recovered his body later.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources today (Tuesday) released the names of the juveniles involved in Friday’s crash on Clear Lake involving two personal watercrafts. Authorities say 15-year old Kyle Olberding, of Glidden, was operating the personal watercraft that struck a second personal watercraft with 17-year old’s McKenna Holahan, Wynee Bond, and Ellie Shimp, all of Cedar Falls, onboard. Shimp was transported to a hospital in Rochester, Minn. Olberding’s passenger was 16-year old Grant Borkowski, of Carroll.

Olberding was charged with Reckless Use of a Watercraft and Operation of a Watercraft by an Underage Person Without Boating Education. DNR conservation officers remind those operating personal watercraft to stay at a safe distance from other personal watercraft and avoid what they commonly see on Iowa waters of one personal watercraft trying to splash nearby personal watercrafts.

Regardless of age, the DNR encourages everyone who will operate or ride as a passenger on a motorboat or personal watercraft to take an online boater education course, which can be found here: http://www.iowadnr.gov/Things-to-Do/Boating/Boater-Education.

A woman walking southbound on Interstate 380 at around 5-a.m. today (Tuesday), walked into the path of traffic and was struck by a 2007 Saturn Ion. The Iowa State Patrol reports 21-year old Angelica Soto, of Cedar Rapids, died at the scene of the eastern Iowa incident. The driver of the car, 31-year old Ashley Call, of Spencer, was not injured. The accident remains under investigation.

Adair County Sheriff Jeff Vandewater reports there were four arrests over the past week. On July 2nd, 26-year old Francisco Javier Bermudez, of Des Moines, was arrested on an Adair County warrant, by an Iowa State Patrol Trooper. Bermudez was wanted for Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. He plead guilty to the charge and served two days in jail before being released. On July 3rd, 31-year old Michael Anthony Hull, of Winterset, was arrested a little after 2-a.m. in a vehicle outside the Kum and Go store in Adair. Hull, who was not wearing a shirt, was passed out in his vehicle with the door open. When a Deputy approached, Hull jumped up and got out of his car.

The Deputy then noticed a glass meth pipe in plain view on the driver’s seat. During a search of the vehicle, a green leafy substance and white crystalline substance were found, along with a liquid-filled syringe. The first two substances tested positive for marijuana and meth. The syringe also contained meth. Other drug paraphernalia were located inside the vehicle, as well. Hull was arrested for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance, 3rd or subsequent offense. He was brought to the Adair County Jail and later released after posting $10,300 bond or the allowable 10-percent bond.

Also arrested July 3rd, was 46-year old Kimberly Ann McCormick, of Des Moines. Adair Police took her into custody on a Polk County warrant for Possession of a controlled substance/1st offense. McCormick was turned over to Polk County Deputies. And, 35-year old Joseph Lee Reynolds, of Stuart, was arrested last Saturday for Driving While License denied or revoked for OWI, after being pulled over for an expired license registration tag.  Reyolds was released at the scene with a citation to appear in court.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors have a lot on their agenda for their meeting 9-a.m. Wednesday, in Greenfield. During their regular session in the Courthouse Courtroom, the Board will hear from County Attorney Clint Hight, with regard to a Special Prosecutor Appointment Resolution. Other scheduled speakers include: Josh and Lisa Rardin, with regard to Wind Farm/County Health and Safety; John Schildberg, who will discuss paving the Greenfield Airport road; Sheriff Jeff Vandewater will talk about a New Deputy Hire, and Dave Homan, Supervisor – will provide an update/discussion with regard to the MATURA Board.

Adair County Auditor Mindy Schaefer will discuss $300,000 General Obligation Bonds Series 2018, and the Board will act on appointing a Pay Agent, along with related matters. County Engineer Nick Kauffman will also present his regular weekly report, among other business.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four of 14 attorneys who were paid by Iowa to represent low-income defendants have been convicted of overbilling the state following an audit that found excessive billings of nearly $500,000. The Des Moines Register reports that the 10 other attorneys have repaid the government, but weren’t criminally charged.

Kurt Swaim is a former state representative and first assistant public defender for the state. He says most of the cases that weren’t prosecuted involved unintentional bookkeeping errors. Auditors say the attorneys made excessive billings or mileage reimbursement claims during a nearly five-year period that ended in August 2013. Swaim says attorneys so far have been ordered to or voluntarily agreed to repay more than $250,000. He says Iowa is seeking restitution of more than $100,000 in one case and repayment in multiple cases not involving criminal charges.

KEOSAUQUA, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa prosecutor whose behavior was described as “egregious” by the Iowa Supreme Court will resume his duties after the court ordered him reinstated. Abraham Watkins announced Tuesday he intends to resume serving as Van Buren County attorney. The all-male Supreme Court last month found Watkins shouldn’t have been removed as county attorney in January 2017 despite allegations of sexual harassment. In a 4-3 ruling, the court found that Watkins’ conduct wasn’t enough to remove an elected official. Allegations included that he commented on an employee’s breasts, repeatedly appeared in underwear in his home office and displayed nude photos of his wife.

Watkins says he hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election this fall. Former Van Buren County Craig Miller is the only person running so far.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa recently sent a letter to Department of Defense Principle Deputy Inspector General Glenn A. Fine seeking answers on why the department is wasting $10,000 of taxpayer money on individual toilet seat covers and whether he and his investigation team are looking deeper into this and other possible examples of egregious and wasteful spending. More than a month later, Grassley is still waiting for a reply from Fine and the DoD. In a May 29th interview published by Defense One, Dr. Will Roper, the current Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, confirmed that “the price to buy a new” 3D-printed toilet seat cover used in a C-17 cargo plane “is $10,000.” Though the cost to print one toilet seat cover is $300, the total price tag to taxpayers is $10,000 due to process costs.

“If Dr. Roper’s information is accurate, I would be very discouraged, indeed. It would tell me that we have not made much progress in the war on waste. In fact, it would tell me that we may be losing ground,” Grassley wrote in the letter. “Moreover, the DoD should view this revelation with alarm, because it could be used to cut the defense budget – as it was in the 1980’s. It seems to me that there is no way to justify a $10,000.00 price tag for a toilet seat lid. It’s just not credible. It needs scrutiny.”

This disturbing report comes nearly four decades after a similar report came to light during the Reagan administration, in which the Defense Department spent $640 on a C-5 toilet seat. It is also another example in the ever-growing list of flagrant abuses of taxpayer dollars at the Pentagon. Grassley’s extensive oversight work throughout his career has included a dogged pursuit for answers from the Pentagon over decades of wasteful spending and its inability to produce a clean financial audit. Most recently, he has worked to hold the Defense Department accountable for its excessive and largely unaccounted for spending in Afghanistan, including a $43 million gas station.

The text of the letter can be found here: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/constituents/10,000%20dollar%20toilet%20seat.pdf

The Glenwood Police Department reports two people were arrested Monday, and two were taken into custody this (Tuesday) morning. 24-year old Patrick Giesting and 20-year old Alex Lauenroth, both of Glenwood, were arrested today (Tuesday), for Disorderly conduct. Their bonds were each set at $300 cash or surety. On Monday, 45-year old Andrew Schoening, of Glenwood was arrested on two counts of Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Bond was set at $4000 cash or surety. And, 31-year old Alexander Slater, of Glenwood was arrested Monday on a Mills County warrant failure to appear on an OWI 2nd charge. Bond set at $5000 cash or surety.