State officials are hiring “an outside expert” to examine the Iowa Department of Human Services after a second central Iowa teenager is found dead in a home which had been flagged over child welfare concerns. Sixteen-year-old Sabrina Ray was found dead in her home in Perry last Friday. The Des Moines Register reports she was adopted and the state had investigated at least two complaints of improper punishment and inadequate food at the day care the girl’s parents ran out of the home.

Last fall, a 16-year-old adopted girl starved to death in her West Des Moines home. Neighbors and school officials had reported the girl was malnourished. The public information officer at the Department of Human Services issued a written statement Tuesday, saying the agency will be taking “a comprehensive review of our child welfare system.” The department’s Amy McCoy also sought to “assure the public” that the D-H-S is committed to protecting vulnerable children.

McCoy also expressed “deep sadness” and said the D-H-S staff had “heavy hearts” over the Perry teenager’s death. Last month the Government Oversight Committee in the Iowa House announced it planned to investigate the child welfare system, but Republicans on the same committee in the Iowa Senate were reluctant to join in.

Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says he was nauseated when he learned another teenager had “fallen through the cracks.” Earlier this year, McCoy convened a few hearings at the statehouse to try to quiz state officials about the starvation death of Natalia Finn of West Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa)

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Nebraska man will stand trial next month for the death in northwestern Iowa of his estranged wife. The Sioux City Journal reports 29-year-old Rogelio Morales, of Hubbard, Nebraska, has been ordered to stand trial on June 6 in Woodbury County District Court. The case has been delayed several times as defense attorneys have repeatedly withdrawn from representing Morales.

Morales has pleaded not guilty to killing 21-year-old Margarita Morales on April 19, 2015, in his car near a Sioux City residence. Court documents say Morales told investigators a fight broke out when his wife told him she no longer wanted to be in a relationship and that she was seeing another man.

Severe storms that began to brew in eastern Nebraska blew into western Iowa Tuesday evening, quickly turning the skies dark. The storms brought winds of up to 70-miles per hour to parts of Carroll and Shelby Counties, and golf ball sized hail in the Crawford County town of Manilla. The National Weather Service says heavy tree damage was reported in Council Bluffs. Damage to a house and barn was reported to have occurred near Underwood at around 6:55-p.m., in the 23,000 block of Magnolia, where rotation was observed in the clouds.

The Iowa State Patrol reports high winds knocked over tractor-trailers on Interstate 29 last night. In Missouri Valley, the fire department lost power during the storm. The community had several downed power lines, with some fires sparked by lightning. Mid-American Energy reported this morning, that nearly 6,600 customers across the state had no power…near 6,100 of those were in Ft. Dodge.  In the Webster County town of Dayton, a tree fell on a home, but no injuries were reported.

An outbuilding was reported to have been damaged by thunderstorm winds in Shelby at around 7:20-p.m. And, a large tree was uprooted four-miles west of Shelby at around 7:25-p.m.

About 5-minutes later, a 60-mile per hour gust of wind was recorded at the automated weather station located at the Harlan Airport. Earlier, several large tree branches fell in Missouri Valley and in Council Bluffs, causing power lines to fall in some locations.

The Crawford County Emergency Manager reported golf ball-size hail fell in Manilla, at around 7:45-p.m., and about three-miles east/southeast of Buck Grove, in Crawford County, winds reached up to 70-miles per hour. A better view of the damage and an assessment from the National Weather Service, is expected as the day progresses.

(some information in this story was provided by the Associated Press)

A crash Tuesday afternoon in western Iowa’s Monona County resulted in one person dying after they were transported to Burgess Hospital, in Onawa. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 92-year old Dr. John Lee Garred, Sr., of Whiting, died from injuries he suffered when the 1997 Cadillac Eldorado he was driving turned in front of an oncoming semi just west of Whiting, at around 4:35-p.m., Tuesday.

The Patrol says Garred, who was not wearing a seat belt, was traveling west on County Road E-24 when he failed to see an eastbound a 2003 Peterbilt semi driven by 60-year old Duane Robert Miller, of Onawa. The vehicles collided at the intersection of Cork Avenue, when Garred went to turn south. Miller wasn’t injured in the crash.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a teen found dead Friday in a central Iowa home. Perry police say 16-year-old Sabrina Ray was found in the home Friday evening. Officials have not released her cause of death, but the Iowa Department of Human Services says the death is being investigated as a child abuse case. The Des Moines Register reports the girl was homeschooled with siblings in the home, which had been monitored by the state following abuse complaints.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A reporter is facing the threat of jail after allegedly violating an order not to take video of “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules appearing in court in his hit-and-run case. Prosecutors are pursuing contempt of court proceedings against KWWL reporter Elizabeth Amanieh in what could be the first such case against an Iowa journalist in decades. They say she violated a judge’s directive by using her cellphone to record last month’s hearing, which her station later aired.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Nebraska man will stand trial next month for the death in northwestern Iowa of his estranged wife. The Sioux City Journal reports that 29-year-old Rogelio Morales, of Hubbard, Nebraska, has been ordered to stand trial on June 6 in Woodbury County District Court. Morales has pleaded not guilty to killing 21-year-old Margarita Morales on April 19, 2015, in his car near a Sioux City residence.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The FBI and law enforcement agencies around Omaha have teamed over a rash of bank robberies officials believe have street gang ties. Randall Thysse, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Omaha office, says officials are particularly concerned about the violent nature of recent bank robberies around Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Thysse says of the 42 armed bank robberies in the last 17 months, 33 were similar enough that investigators believe they are related.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported following a two-vehicle, property damage accident Tuesday afternoon on K Avenue at the intersection of 240th Street. Officials say a 1996 Ford Aerostar van owned and driven by 76-year old David B. Lewis, of rural Stanton, was southbound on K Avenue at around 3:38-p.m., and slowing for the intersection of 240th Street.

A 2005 Ford Escape owned by Danny J. Smith of rural Red Oak and driven by 16-year old Taylor Smith, of rural Red Oak, was southbound on K Avenue, behind Lewis’ vehicle.

Smith failed to see Lewis’ vehicle slowing down, or its taillights, due to the gravel dust that was kicked up. The SUV she was driving struck the van in the rear, just as it was beginning to make a right hand turn.

Damage amounted to $3,000 altogether. No citations were issued.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Three more workers at Iowa institutions for people with severe intellectual disabilities have been fired or resigned over allegations of resident abuse. State officials confirmed the actions this week to the Des Moines Register. The newspaper said in a report Tuesday that two workers were recently fired from the Glenwood Resource Center and a Woodward Resource Center worker resigned after being suspended.

The ouster comes in the wake of 13 resignations or firings at the Glenwood institution late last year for abusing or humiliating residents. State reports say in the latest cases that a Glenwood staffer was fired for smearing food on a resident’s face and another staffer fired for not immediately reporting it. In the Woodward case, a worker resigned amid an investigation into allegations of abuse.

A woman from Missouri Valley was injured during an accident this (Tuesday) morning, in Harrison County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 65-year old Janice M. Honeywell, who was not wearing a seat belt, was transported to the Missouri Valley Hospital after the 2002 Ford Mustang she was driving clipped the left rear of a 2016 Chevy Tahoe, that was stopped and waiting to turn left from West Erie onto Harrison Street, in Missouri Valley. Honeywell was attempting to pass the SUV on the left when the accident happened at around 11-a.m.

After the initial collision, the Mustang continued into oncoming traffic and hit an eastbound  2003 Peterbilt semi, head-on before coming to rest. Neither the driver of the Tahoe (Joan Martens, of Mo. Valley), nor the driver of the semi (Brian Knudsen, of Charter Oak), were injured in the collision. The accident remains under investigation.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department report three drug-related, and other recent arrests. Last Saturday, 39-year old Clinton John Gardner, of Harlan, was taken into custody on charges that include Public Intoxication/3rd Offense, and Possession of a Controlled Substance. On Sunday, 26-year old Ronnie Mitchell Eason, Jr., and 21-year old Bryce Dakota Schechinger, both of Kansas City, MO., were taken into custody following a traffic stop in Harlan.

Eason and Schechinger were both transported to the Shelby County Jail where Eason was charged with possession of a controlled substance, and Schechinger was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, prohibited acts, failure to secure security against liability, and operating a non-registered vehicle.

On Monday, 28-year old Theodore James Behrens, of Harlan, was arrested after officers responded to a report of a domestic in progress. After Officers learned Behrens had an active warrant through Shelby County, he was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was also charged with domestic abuse assault, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Harlan Police arrested 55-year old  Curt Grant Whiteley, of Harlan, last Saturday, for public intoxication/2nd and subsequent offense. And on Sunday, 34-year old Michael Ulyssess Gifford, of Harlan, was arrested after officers responded to a report of a possible domestic situation. Gifford was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with domestic abuse assault.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The FBI and law enforcement agencies around Omaha have teamed over a rash of bank robberies officials believe have street gang ties. Officials held a news conference Tuesday at the FBI field office in Omaha to announce the task force. Randall Thysse, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Omaha office, says officials are particularly concerned about the violent nature of recent bank robberies around Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa. Thysse says of the 42 armed bank robberies in the last 17 months, 33 were similar enough that investigators believe they are related.

Thysse says the robbers storm banks with guns drawn, their faces covered and yelling demands. In at least one case, a teller was bound. Omaha Crime Stoppers has doubled its reward for information on the bank robberies to $20,000.