DES MOINES, Iowa – Three defendants who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking children were sentenced this month.

• On December 7th, 2020, Tommy Tate Collins of Cedar Rapids was sentenced to 210 months in prison following a guilty plea to one count of child sex trafficking. Collins admitted in his plea agreement that he trafficked a minor child, who was 15 and 16 years old at the time, by paying her for sex acts with money and drugs.
• On December 18, 2020, Albert Kelly Price was sentenced to 348 months imprisonment. Price pleaded guilty to trafficking two minors and admitted to trafficking a total of three minors who were between 14 and 16 years old. Price paid all three minors for sex acts and used physical force on each minor. Price resided in Iowa City and North Liberty.
• On December 21, 2020, Arrion Marcus West, Jr. of Iowa City was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment for trafficking two minors, who were 15 and 17 years old at the time of the offenses. West trafficked the minors by advertising them on escort websites, arranging prices and sex acts with customers, transporting them to engage in sex acts, and taking proceeds from the commercial sex acts. West also used physical violence towards one victim.

Co-defendants that were previously sentenced include Isaiah Patterson, sentenced to 144 months imprisonment in January 2020 for trafficking a 15 year old by posting advertisements of her
for commercial sex acts, and Kendall Andrew Streb, who was sentenced in September 2020 to 268 months imprisonment for trafficking three minors and additional offenses. United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum said “The defendants in these cases were buyers and sellers of children in our community. They exploited vulnerable teenage girls for their own sexual gratification, and collectively they will serve many decades in federal prison. Federal law does not distinguish between ‘johns’ who will pay for sex with a minor, and pimps who offer minors for sex. Both groups are serious criminals, and we will treat them as such.”

Human trafficking is defined as a crime involving the exploitation of youth under the age of 18 for commercial sex; the exploitation of adults for commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion; and the exploitation of any individual for compelled labor. Human trafficking does not require the transportation of individuals across state lines, or that someone is physically restrained. Signs that a person is being trafficked can include working excessively long hours, unexplained gifts, physical injury, substance abuse issues, running away from home, isolation from others, or having a person in their life controlling them or monitoring them closely. Anyone who suspects human trafficking is occurring, be it a minor engaging in paid sex acts, or anyone being coerced into prostitution or labor, is urged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

The case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department, with assistance from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, and the Coralville
Police Department. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County Wednesday (today), reported the arrest Tuesday afternoon, of 31-year old Heather-Rae Beaman, of Glenwood. Beaman was taken into custody at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Assault while displaying a dangerous weapons. Her bond was set at $2,000.

LAKE PARK, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Corrections said Wednesday (Today), at approximately 11:30 a.m. Tuesday December 22, 2020, the Lake Park Police Department received a 911 call and responded to 104 Maple Ave in Lake Park, Iowa, for a reported homicide. Upon arrival, officers located a deceased female inside the residence.  The Lake Park Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office and the Dickinson County Attorney’s Office are investigating.

The incident is being treated as a homicide. Authorities say since the incident investigation remains an active and ongoing investigation, no further details are being released.  Anyone with information about the incident, is asked to contact the Lake Park Police Department at 712-336-2525, or the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office at 712-336-2793.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley doubts Congress will be able to comply with President Trump’s suggestion to significantly boost the amount in those checks the federal government plans to send to most Americans. The COVID relief bill Congress passed this week called for 600-checks to go out but Trump says that’s “ridiculously low” and said the checks should be for two-thousand dollars.  “I don’t think it is feasible because we are in a situation where we’re giving money to some people who haven’t lost their jobs,” Grassley says. “I think if we do any more, it needs to be more targeted towards those in need.”

In his video address Tuesday night, the president called the latest relief measure a “disgrace” and said he would -not- immediately sign it in order to give Congress time to rework the 900-billion dollar economic stimulus package. “I hope the president will sign the bill or let it go into law without his signature,” Grassley says. “Also, if more can be done, well, we’re told after the new president is sworn in, and it probably will be Biden, then we’re going to have another debate like this anyway.”

Grassley, a Republican, is confident a Democratic Biden administration would call for a change in how the allocations are made. “Whether it’s in December or February, it probably doesn’t make much difference,” Grassley says. “I would think, and I would hope Democrats would think, that it needs to be targeted towards people who are hurting more than people who have never lost a job.”

Without the president’s autograph, the federal government faces a shutdown next week and hundreds of billions of dollars in aid would be frozen.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new task force in Des Moines will promote urban agriculture and other measures in hopes of bolstering resources for residents with limited access to healthy diets. The Des Moines Register reports that City Council members unanimously approved the food security task force Monday. The seven-member group will work on a volunteer basis with city officials to promote urban farming, research and recommend potential policies and create an online resource guide.

The guide will offer information about where to find tools, compost, seeds, laying hens, honey bees and other supplies.

(Updated by Dar Danielson, Radio Iowa) The Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a review for a possible new trial in a Cass County case.  The ruling says the district court applied too strict a standard in determining whether 29-year-old Patrick Barrett Junior should get a new trial after being convicted of second-degree sexual abuse. Barrett had appealed his conviction, saying he should have been allowed to use the victim’s mental-health and counseling records in his defense. The Supreme Court reversed the district court’s denial – and ordered the lower court to review the use of the mental health evidence based on standards the Supreme Court says are appropriate.

(read the full court decision here)

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

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(Radio Iowa) – Leaders in Sioux City have passed the first reading of an ordinance that will increase fines for fireworks violations. Under the new ordinance, property owners would be held responsible and fined for the illegal use of fireworks at their home or property. The city council voted 4-1 Monday for the measure — with Pete Groetken, a retired police captain, voting no. He questioned how the ordinance could be enforced. “I am not sure what this ordinance is doing except raising fines. I don’t know how we enforce it. I guess it can be done or we wouldn’t have recommended it,” Groetken said. “We are increasing the fine — but it’s not really solving the problem.”

Groetken says many people have told him the city should just ban fireworks.He says nine of out ten calls he gets from the public say they should get rid of fireworks. Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr says she has more people tell her they want to be able to celebrate the New Year and 4th of July with fireworks. And she thinks they need to continue with the education campaign.”I haven’t heard as many negative to turn them off and to make them illegal as I have the other way around. So, I want to continue and I want to really, really hit the P-S-A’s after the first of the year,” Schoener said.

The proposal would fine property owners 250 dollars for a first offense violation of the fireworks ordinance, 500 dollars for a second offense, and one thousand dollars for third or more violations. The proposal must pass two more times before being enacted. Fireworks may be legally used from 1:00 P-M December 31st until 12:30 A-M. on January 1st, and July 3rd through July 4th from the hours of 1:00 P-M until 11:00 P-M.

(Radio Iowa) – A study being released by the United Ways of Iowa shows how the pandemic is impacting the state’s households and finds low-income families are suffering disproportionately in trying to pay for essentials. Deann Cook, the agency’s executive director, says the report finds more than half of Iowa households are reporting a loss of income or increased expenses due to COVID-19. “Iowans who are still in a position to give have been very, very generous, particularly with disaster funds. That has been really heartwarming to see,” Cook says. “But there’s just simply more need out there than the non-profit sector is able to provide.”

Charities of all sorts are being stretched to the limit, especially food banks and agencies that help Iowans in need to pay their utilities or rent. “Probably the biggest resource that United Ways have is the Iowa 211 Hotline,” Cook says. “When residents of Iowa find themselves with a challenge that they need help navigating, pick up the phone, call 211 and those call agents can walk you through and help direct you to the best resources.”

Before the pandemic, Cook says 37-percent of Iowans were having a difficult time paying all of their bills. Those are people who are living above the federal poverty level who are working, but simply don’t make enough to pay for the basics. The report shows even more Iowans are now financially fragile. “Eighteen percent of Iowans told us they couldn’t cover one month’s bills prior to the pandemic. That is now well into 30-percent,” Cook says. “We have a third of Iowans, at least, who are now struggling to even come up with one month’s reserve should they have a problem, should they lose income, that kind of thing.”

Beyond money worries, the three primary concerns Iowans expressed are: a second wave of virus activity and closures, a household member contracting COVID-19, and mental health issues. Cook says families with household incomes below $50,000 reported significantly higher concerns about paying for food, utilities and rent.”Going back to what it was like before the pandemic is not exactly going back to a great place,” Cook says. “There were Iowans struggling going into this and this has only exacerbated all of those problems.”

For Iowans who want to help, Cook says there are United Way chapters across the state, in addition to food pantries and local community disaster funds, all of which would welcome donations. (On the web at https://www.uwiowa.org/)

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

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