LeMARS, Iowa (AP) — A former sheriff’s deputy in northwestern Iowa is facing several felony charges for burglaries and thefts that occurred while he was working as a deputy. The Sioux City Journal reports that 41-year-old Aaron John Leusink is accused in a series of crimes between December 2017 and January of this year. Authorities say the thefts were related to prescription medications. Leusink was working as a Plymouth County deputy at the time. Sheriff Michael Van Otterloo asked the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to investigate after the allegations against Leusink came to light in April. Leusink was initially placed on administrative before being fired in April.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa teenager has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for killing another teenager in 2019. The Des Moines Register reports that Eliazar Montoya Gama of West Des Moines was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Sakira Bonner. Dallas County Attorney Charles Sinnard says the judge’s ruling allows Gama to be eligible for parole after serving 30 years in prison. Gama was 17 at the time of the crime. Had he been an adult, he would have been sentenced to life without parole.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa legislative panel has approved several proposals by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate to alleviate a last-minute crunch on Election Day. The Iowa Legislative Council will let voters use a driver’s license for their identification even if it expired this year and will allow Pate to move a polling place in an emergency. Nursing home residents may receive ballots by mail rather than have them hand-delivered as required by state law. Also, county election boards may remove mail ballots from their outer envelope on the Saturday before Election Day to make tabulating them go faster on the day before Election Day as state law allows.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is warning area residents of a phone scam that has been reported in the area. In the scam a number comes up on a person’s caller ID as Cass County. Upon answering the scammer will claim they have received a report of misuse of social security numbers and will proceed to ask for the last four digits of those numbers. Upon refusal, the scammer will try to say they’ll have to put a warrant out for the person’s arrest.

Please beware of this scam. The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that they would never cold-call someone to ask for their social security number or other personal information.

DES MOINES – Friday, Governor Reynolds signed a new proclamation continuing the Public Health Disaster Emergency.

The proclamation extends the closure of bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, night clubs in Johnson and Story counties for an additional week, until 11:59 p.m. on October 4, 2020. They may continue to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises. Restaurants in these two counties are still permitted to remain open, but must stop selling and serving alcoholic beverages after 10:00 p.m.

Restaurants in Johnson and Story counties, like bars and restaurants in all other counties, must also continue to follow other mitigation measures. This includes the requirements to ensure six feet of physical distance between each group or individual dining or drinking; to ensure all patrons have a seat at a table or bar and consume alcohol or food while seated; and to limit congregating together closer than six feet.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports a burglary occurred in Villisca overnight Thursday into Friday morning. An unknown person or persons made entry into a locked building in the East 200 block of 3rd Street in Villisca sometime between 7:00 p.m. Thursday to 7:00 a.m. on Friday. Items valued at approximately $3,600 were stolen from the building. An investigation into the incident is ongoing.