DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says an Ottumwa police chief and the local civil service commission were right to fire a police sergeant for failure to be truthful during an internal investigation into a January 2017 arrest. Former Ottumwa police Sgt. Mark Milligan was disciplined for remaining in his car during a stop involving a possible stolen car.

Milligan, the supervising officer at the scene, didn’t intervene when another officer argued with a juvenile female and arrested her on a charge that was later dropped. Milligan claims it was cold and he didn’t want to get out of the car.

After an internal investigation, Police Chief Tom McAndrew concluded Milligan lied about his interactions during the incident and fired Milligan. The civil service commission upheld the decision. A district court judge in August 2018 found his dismissal harsh and arbitrary and reinstated Milligan with back pay.

The appeals court judges disagreed Wednesday, saying Milligan’s termination was appropriate discipline for dishonesty and is in the public interest. Milligan’s attorney says he plans to appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court.

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of a hate crime and other counts for tearing down and burning an LGBTQ flag flying at a church in Ames. Television station KCCI reports that 30-year-old Adolpho Martinez was found guilty Wednesday of a hate crime, third-degree harassment and being a habitual offender.

Martinez was arrested in June. He told KCCI in an interview that he tore down the flag that had been hanging from the United Church of Christ and burned it because he opposes homosexuality.

Story County Attorney Jessica Reynolds says Martinez faces 15 years in prison when sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

(Radio Iowa) — Forecasters say much colder, unseasonable weather will hit Iowa in a few days, with lows in the single digits and teens, so the time may already be past due for having our furnaces serviced before winter. Bess Ellenson, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, is warning Iowa homeowners to beware of contractors who use scare tactics to peddle unnecessary repairs.

“The first thing that we always recommend is, when you have somebody come out and if they tell you that you need repairs done, or you need your furnace replaced, always get a second opinion,” Ellenson says. “Have another contractor come out and take a look and see if they agree.” While most heating and air conditioning companies are reputable, competent and fair, she says some may be unscrupulous. If a tech tells you a new furnace is needed, costing thousands, do your best not to overreact.

“Try to stay calm and always just say, ‘I need to think about this a little bit,’ and do a little more research,” Ellenson says. “Have a another person come out there and check things out just to be sure that what they’re saying needs to be done actually does (need to be done).”

Ellenson says it’s a good idea to contact your utility company and ask for a service person to come and inspect your system — or visit the website: BBB.org/iowa.

(Radio Iowa) — A Briar Cliff University student is facing several charges for allegedly forging checks and using them to pay for sex acts. Twenty-year-old Davion Sandifer of Austin, Texas is charged with five counts each of forgery, soliciting prostitution and criminal transmission of a contagious of infectious disease. Harlan police took a report that five males between the ages of 17 and 19 had been paid with forged checks to engage in sexual acts with Sandifer in his Briar Cliff dorm room.

Court documents show the checks made out to the teens ranged from 30-thousand to 600-thousand dollars. The D-C-I searched Sandifer’s dorm room and found checks and check stubs that matched the checks given to the five teens from Harlan, along with other fake checks. Sandifer was taken to the Woodbury County Jail where’s he’s being held on a five-thousand dollar bond.

In an update to election results in Cass County, the Auditor’s Office today (Wednesday) reports the write-in votes have been tabulated, and the winner for the Mayor’s Office in Wiota, is J. Ford Lillard. Philip Pryzchodzin was elected Mayor of Massena. Griswold City Council winners include Kirk Stapleton and Greg Lightner. The results remain unofficial until canvassed by the Board of Supervisors, and, the candidates will need to accept the position after the canvass is made official.