Sheriff’s deputies in Montgomery County report the arrest this (Wednesday) morning, of 20-year old James Isaiah Van Fossen, of Villisca. He was taken into custody at around 12:50-a.m. on a valid Montgomery County warrant for Theft in the 3rd Degree. Van Fossen was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond. At around 10:20-p.m. Tuesday, deputies arrested 40-year old Jamie Ryan Straw, and 26-year old Justyn Ray Carlson, both of Villisca, for Disorderly Conduct. Their cash bonds were set at $300 each.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor is alleging that defense attorneys for an Iowa man charged with killing an amateur golfer from Spain have a potential conflict of interest. Assistant Story County Tim Meals is asking a judge to hold a hearing on the alleged conflict and to bar the media from attending. The development comes in the first-degree murder case against Collin Richards. He’s charged in the Sept. 17 stabbing of Celia Barquin Arozamena

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa prison officials say an inmate serving a life term has died at a Fort Madison hospital. Officials say Robert James Carter was pronounced dead at Sunday afternoon at the Fort Madison Community Hospital, where he had been taken due to suffering a medical emergency. Carter was 73. An autopsy has been ordered.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is looking to hire hundreds of snow plow drivers for the coming winter. Television station KCCI reports that the department is looking to recruit 600 qualified drivers to work at more than 100 garages across the state.

PERRY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators are trying to determine who spray painted the words “report illegals” on a sidewalk near where one Iowa town was holding its annual Latino festival. The Des Moines Register reports that the message was found near the high school in Perry, Iowa, on Sunday along with a stenciled phone number for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Transportation is looking to hire hundreds of snow plow drivers for the coming winter. Television station KCCI reports that the department is looking to recruit 600 qualified drivers to work at more than 100 garages across the state. Applicants can apply online at www.iowadot.gov/careers.

Eligible applicants must have a valid Class A or B Commercial Driver’s License or Commercial Learner’s permit upon their hiring and must pass pre-employment drug and alcohol testing and participate in a random drug and alcohol testing program after hire.

The job pays $17.45 an hour.

DES MOINES, Iowa – U-S Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced Tuesday, that seven defendants charged with sex trafficking and related offenses pleaded guilty during the month of September. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in January and February 2019 before United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey.

According to court documents, Darren O. Coleman, age 29, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking Victim 4 (“V4”) by force, fraud, or coercion. Sarina Ann Williams, age 26, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of V4. Coleman admitted he recruited V4 in late June of 2017, and sent V4 to Williams, who was in South Dakota at the time. Williams, at Coleman’s direction, advertised V4 on online escort websites for the purposes of prostitution; harbored V4 in hotel rooms that served out of state customers; and arranged for V4 to engage in commercial sex acts. Coleman admitted he knew V4 was engaging in commercial sex acts as a result of force, threats of force, fraud, and coercion. Coleman monitored V4’s contact and interactions with family and friends. He also verbally threatened V4 and others, to intimidate V4.

Coleman admitted he fraudulently promised V4 substantial money and things of value of which V4 never received. Coleman also pleaded guilty to coercing and enticing Victim 1 (“V1”) to cross a state line for purposes of prostitution. Stephen Kalu Cobb, age 27, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking V1 by force, fraud, or coercion. Sarina Williams pleaded guilty to transporting V1 across a state line for purposes of prostitution. According to Cobb’s plea agreement, Coleman threatened V1 with physical violence in March 2017 after V1 found and disposed of a firearm Coleman had purchased. V1 then engaged in commercial sex acts due to threats of violence from Coleman.

Cobb also physically assaulted V1, threatened her with violence, and verbally demeaned and insulted V1 to cause V1 to engage in commercial sex acts. Cobb transported V1 to different locations in Des Moines to engage in commercial sex acts, and received money from those sex acts. Cobb admitted to splitting the money he obtained from the trafficking of V1 with Coleman and Mark Phillip Carter II, as they arranged for the commercial sex acts and communicated the places and locations for the commercial sex acts to Cobb. Mark Phillip Carter II, age 26, admitted to advertising V1 on online escort websites, in addition to other individuals.

Carter entered a plea of guilty to sex trafficking a minor. According to the plea document, between May and July 2017, Carter recruited and enticed a minor victim to engage in commercial sex acts. He advertised the minor—who was 16 years old at the time—on online escort websites, and transported the minor to motels and other locations in the Southern District of Iowa, knowing the minor victim would engage in commercial sex acts at those locations. Carter received money from those sex acts.

Furthermore, Cater admitted to possessing a firearm in July 2017, and the minor victim knew he had a firearm. Carter also admitted to advertising two additional individuals, Victim 2 and Victim 3 (“V3”), on online escort websites for the purpose of prostitution. Carter additionally was charged with conspiring with three other individuals to commit the crime of sex trafficking V3; according to his plea agreement, that charge and others will be dismissed at the time of sentencing.

Julyen Xavier Singleton, age 21, admitted to using a facility of interstate commerce—in this case, Facebook—to promote prostitution. Singleton admitted that, in late June 2017, he contacted V3 on Facebook and solicited V3 to come to Des Moines to engage in prostitution. He then provided V3 to another individual for the purpose of advertising V3 on online escort websites, arranging for V3 to engage in commercial sex acts, and transporting V3 to commercial sex acts. Singleton thereafter received proceeds from those sex acts.

Ronzell Montez Williams, age 26, and Breeanna Lynae Brown, age 26, entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking V3 by force, fraud, or coercion. According to their plea agreements, Carter left V3 with Ronzell Williams in late June 2017. Brown then obtained V3 and took her to her home. Both Brown and Williams transported V3 to engage in commercial sex acts. Williams admitted Brown told V3 she could perform commercial sex acts as a way to get enough money to leave Des Moines in order to fraudulently induce V3 to continue to perform commercial sex acts for Brown’s financial benefit.

Coleman and Cobb are subject to a fifteen-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for sex trafficking up to life imprisonment. Carter is subject to a ten-year mandatory minimum term of imprisonment for sex trafficking a minor, up to life imprisonment. Sarina Williams, Ronzell Williams, and Brown, for their pleas to conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, are subject to a maximum term of imprisonment of life. Singleton is subject to up to five years in prison for using a facility of interstate commerce to promote prostitution.

The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, Vice and Narcotics Control Section. Analytical support was provided by the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, Department of Public Safety, as well as the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center. The Polk County Attorney’s Office assisted with the prosecution. The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Detectives with the Council Bluffs Police Department arrested a Council Bluffs man Tuesday afternoon, for allegedly communicating through social media and text messages, with a person he thought was a 13-year old girl. 30-year old Andrew Newport was arrested at around 1:30-p.m.  The “girl” was actually an undercover detective. During his communications, Newport offered to pay for sex and sent a photo of his genitalia.

Andrew Newport

The detective, posing as the young girl, agreed to meet Newport Tuesday afternoon, with the understanding that they would have sex.  Once Newport arrived at the meeting location, he was apprehended and taken in for questioning. Newport was booked into the Pottawattamie County Jail on Felony charges that include: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (a Class “C” Felony), Enticing a Minor (a Class “D” Felony), and Solicitation (a Class “C” Felony). He was also charged with Dissemination of Obscene Material (a Serious Misdemeanor).