(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Monday evening, arrested 61-year-old Robert Wade Abraham, of Red Oak, for Theft in the 5th Degree (Shoplifting). Abraham was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa – An Illinois man was sentenced last Friday, January 17th in US District Court, to 35 years in federal prison for enticement and attempted enticement of a 14-year-old female from southeast Iowa, and for committing an offense while a registered sex offender.

According to public court documents, in 2020, 40-year-old Anthony Alan Anderson, while serving in the United States Air Force, was convicted via general court martial of two counts of attempting to commit a lewd act with a person he believed to be a child who had not attained the age of 16 years old. As a result of that conviction, Anderson was required to register as a sex offender in his state of residence. Anderson moved to Illinois in 2022.

From May to November 2023, Anderson, from his residence in Illinois, used text messaging and social-media applications to communicate with the 14-year-old from Ottumwa, Iowa. During their communications, Anderson convinced the child to produce and send him child pornography. In September 2023, Anderson traveled from his home in Illinois to Ottumwa, where he picked the child up from her residence and took her to a hotel. There, he and the child engaged in sex acts. Anderson also captured child sexual abuse material of the child while in the hotel.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Anderson will be required to serve a ten‑year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by the Ottumwa Police Department with assistance from the Illinois State Police.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Department of Justice’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the resources tab.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill eligible for debate in the House Education Committee would loosen restrictions on homeschooling and raises the state tuition and textbook tax credit. Jeremy Voss is a lobbyist for Homeschool Iowa. “House File 88 has been crafted to affirm and strengthen the vital role of parents in fulfilling their Biblical mandate to go and make disciples,” Voss said. “This calling begins in the home with home education as its cornerstone.”

Under current law, children in a homeschool setting may be taught by someone who is not a relative, but that person must be a licensed teacher. The bill repeals that requirement and gets rid of the current limit that no more than four children may be homeschooled by a non-relative. Margaret Buckton is a lobbyist for the Urban Education Network and the Rural School Advocates of Iowa.

“Our primary concerns about allowing an unlimited number of unrelated children in a homeschool environment and being able to charge tuition, I think there’s a point where it’s no longer a homeschool,” Buckton said, “and it becomes a third category of unregulated or less regulated private school.” The bill also repeals requirements that parents provide records showing that children being taught at home or in a charter school have certain vaccinations and have had their blood tested for unsafe lead levels. Chaney Yeast, a lobbyist from Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, says that’s worrisome.

“We know that there’s lead in our homes in rural Iowa and urban areas of Iowa, we know young children who are putting things in their mouth are often exposed to high levels of lead that can impact their long term ability to learn and be healthy,” Yeast said. Lauren Gideon of Indianola is a homeschool mom of seven who represents Classical Conversations, a company that sells homeschooling materials. She says the bill opens up a conversation about parental rights.

“Who do children belong to and who has their best interest in mind?” she said. “…Who is the primary responsibility/caregiver for children? Who owns the direction and the upbringing of children?” The bill also says Iowa colleges and universities must treat the diploma or certificate a homeschooling parent issues for their child the same as a high school diploma when making enrollment decisions.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill creating a moratorium on new casinos — and scuttle proposed casino in Cedar Rapids — has cleared a House Committee. There was a statehouse hearing on the proposal yesterday (Monday). Iowa’s casino industry is urging lawmakers to pass the bill before the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission votes on the license for the Cedar Rapids casino on February 6th. Frank Chiodo, a lobbyist for the Riverside Casino, says no other casino would take a harder financial hit if Cedar Crossing is built.

“We have 23 casinos in the state of Iowa. The longest drive you have to a casino is 45 minute, maybe a little longer. That’s enough. I mean, do we really want more?” Mary Earnhart is president of the Iowa Gaming Association, which represents the 19 state-licensed casinos. “Simply stated, a moratorium on casino licenses will prevent job losses and business closures,” Earnhart said. There are four Native American casinos operating in the state as well.

Sara Allen, a lobbyist for the Meskwaki Nation, says the tribe’s casino near Tama stands to lose big if a new casino opens just 55 miles away. “We did a study on our own and it suggests that 14.5% of our revenue would go away with the opening of a Cedar Rapids casino,” she said. Backers of the proposed Cedar Crossing casino pleaded with lawmakers to let the Racing and Gaming Commission decide next week whether the project can go forward. Ann Poe is the mayor pro tem for Cedar Rapids.

“Our community continues to fight back from flooding and the derecho, so I cannot understate how important the economic impact from this casino would be on continuing to help us, and the state, in that recovery,” she said. The developer says nearly 700 people will be employed at the casino when it opens. Trade unions point to the estimated one-thousand construction jobs for the 275-MILLION dollar project. Felicia Hilton is with the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.

“Our biggest concern is people leaving the state, trying to maintain people in the state, trying to keep young people in the state and actually having places for people to actually be employed,” she said. Todd Bergan of the Linn County Gaming Association says he doubts the studies showing a casino in his community would have a big impact on nearby casinos.

“Grand Falls Casino in Lyon County, when they applied for a license, it was projected that 27% of the revenue would come from existing Iowa casinos,” he said. “A year after it opened, Sioux City’s casino grew by 2%, with no loss of revenue.” The House Ways and Means Committee approved the moratorium early Monday evening. The bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa House on Thursday. It’s unclear whether the Senate would take up the legislation next week.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man was taken into custody Monday (today) in Red Oak, on Burglary and other charges. According to Red Oak Police, 40-year-old Michael Scott Stafford, of Red Oak, was arrested on felony charges that include Burglary in the 3rd degree, Possession of a Controlled Substance/3rd offense, and on Simple Misdemeanor charges of 5th Degree Theft, as well as Violation of a No-Contact order.

His arrest took place at around 2:15-p.m., in the 200 block of North 4th Street in Red Oak. Stafford was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $5,000 bond.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Glenwood Police Department reports two arrests. Today (Monday), 37-year- old Elayna Werner, of Glenwood, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Assault. Werner was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, until seen by a Magistrate judge.

On Saturday, 29-year-old Hailey Waters, of Red Oak, was arrested in Glenwood for OWI 2^nd offense. She posted a $2,000 cash or surety bond, and was released.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the 2024 election was a political lesson on how voters view the abortion issue.  “Abortion extremism was just resoundingly defeated in the presidential race and in Iowa,” Reynolds said. Reynolds was the keyonte speaker at the annual Iowa Rally for Life at the state capitol. Pastor Michael DeMastis of the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ delivered the opening prayer at the event.

“God, we pray for an end to abortion in America,” DeMastis said. The crowd cheered as Governor Reynolds talked about the repeal of Roe v Wade and the Iowa law she signed that bans most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. Reynolds signed the law twice, in 2018 and 2023, but it wasn’t until last summer that the Iowa Supreme Court turned back lawsuits and declared the law constitutional.

From Gov. Reynolds’ Facebook page (1-27-25)

“In this environment, some say that defending life is too hard, that our only option is to abandon our principles and give up the fight but Iowa’s own experience proves that theory wrong,” Reynolds said. “We’ve repeatedly won that debate at the ballot box.” Reynolds says she is committed to standing against the culture of death in all its forms.

In late November, after the election, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland president Ruth Richardson said Iowans now face significant hardships when trying to access abortion and are forced to travel out of state. She cited a study that found abortions had declined nearly 40 percent in Iowa after the six-week abortion ban took effect July 29th.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department says a teen was cited for a turning violation, after the SUV she was driving struck a vehicle this (Monday) morning. The accident happened at around 10-a.m., at the intersection of Eastern Avenue and Summit Street, in Red Oak. Authorities says 17-year-old Ryelan Kruse, of Red Oak, was traveling westbound on Summit and attempting to turn left onto Eastern Avenue, when the 2018 GMC Acadia she was driving struck a 2011 VW sedan driven by 52-year-old Stanford Rolence, of Red Oak, as his vehicle was stopped at the posted intersection, facing north.

Damage from the collision amounted to a police estimated $12,000 altogether. No injuries were reported.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office is reporting eight arrests took place over the past week. Most recently:

• Monday morning (Jan. 27th), 45-year-old James Leonard Burson, of Pacific Junction, was arrested for Felon in Control of a Firearm. Bond was set at $5,000.
• At around 3:45-a.m. Sunday, Mills County Deputies arrested 33-year-old Luis Oswaldo Pena Cango, of Omaha, following a traffic stop in the area of Bunge Avenue/Interstate 29. Cango was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.
• 29-year-old Hailey Marie Waters, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 1-a.m. Saturday, in Malvern. Waters was taken into custody for: Intent to Deliver False Cocaine; Possession of a Controlled Substance, 1st, 2nd or 3rd offense, and Poss. of Marijuana-1st offense. Her bond was set at $13,000 altogether.
• 55-year-old David William Malcom, of Glenwood, was arrested in Glenwood at around 12:35-a.m., Saturday, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.
• Late Friday morning, Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 18-year-old Gabriel Austin Richardson, of Hamburg, on two counts of Enticing a person under the age of 16 – sex abuse; and one count of Entice a Minor under 16 – Illegal Act. His arrest occurred in Hamburg. Bond was set at $15,000.
• Thursday afternoon, 58-year-old Christopher Allen Vanderloo, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in the vicinity of Industrial Road in Glenwood, for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree. His bond was set at $300.
• At around 6:45-a.m., Thursday, Mills County Deputies arrested 42-year-old Mark Charles Pontefract, of Glenwood, for False Report – 911 Call, and Interference with Official Acts. Pontefract was taken into custody in Glenwood. His bond was set at $300.
• And, at around 11-p.m. Wednesday, 20-year-old Obbie Mariah Avirgin, of Omaha, was arrested in Glenwood for Failure To Appear (in Court). Bond was set at $1,000.