In an update to our reports over the weekend, officials with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office today (Monday), said 22-year old Marcus Pierce, of Glenwood, faces three felony charges associated with an incident in Tabor that was shown on social media. On Sept. 12th, deputies received information about a viral video that appears to show a domestic assault that occurred in Tabor, in August, and recently published on Facebook. Authorities alleged while at the residence in Tabor, Pierce held his victim captive, committed a sexual assault, threatened the woman with a knife, and then forced her to drive him to another location. Pierce currently faces a Class-A felony charge of 1st Degree Kidnapping, a Class-B felony charge of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree, Domestic Abuse 3rd offense – a Class-D felony, and Violation of a No Contact Order. Additional charges are pending.

Marcus Pierce

Pierce was located at a residence in Omaha on Saturday, taken into custody. He is being held at the Douglas County, NE. jail, while awaiting extradition back to Iowa. The Tabor Police Department, Glenwood Police Department, and Omaha Police Department assisted the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.

A man arrested in connection with the Aug. 27th, assault of his grandmother in Council Bluffs, now faces a charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, after the woman died from her injuries last Friday. 29-year old Jacob C. Heyer, of Council Bluffs, was served with the warrant today (Monday), at the Pottawattamie County Jail, where he was being held for Willful Injury and Violation of a Restraining order. At around 9:45-p.m.  Aug. 27th,  Council Bluffs Police were called to 2119 Ave. K to investigate an assault that had taken place involving the victim, 71-year old Karen Fort and her grandson Jacob Heyer. Officers found Fort in her residence and called medics.

Jacob C. Heyer

She was transported to the UNMC for treatment of several injuries to her face. Heyer was found across the street and refused to talk to officers at the time of the incident. A Violation of Restraining order charge was originally issued because Heyer was not allowed to have contact with his grandfather, Ron Fort, who was in the residence at the time of the assault. An autopsy was performed Sept. 16th on Karen Fort. The preliminary findings show that the cause of death was Blunt Force Trauma to the head.

Detectives in charge of the case, working with the County Attorney’s Office subsequently amended charges against Heyer.

(Radio Iowa) — Davenport police have released the names of two pedestrians who were hit and killed last Thursday. Police say 46-year-old Merle Rudd and 56-year-old Edward Mahedy, both of Davenport died after being hit by a vehicle on a city street Thursday evening (10:30). Police say the driver of the vehicle was interviewed at the scene.

They have not released any other details of what may’ve happened as their investigations is ongoing. No charges have been filed.

The Better Business Bureau serving Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa is warning the public to beware of a new phone scam. Senior citizens, from across the country, have reported receiving phone calls threatening their Social Security benefits if they did not call the number provided by the caller to resolve “suspicious activities” on their accounts.  When one man called the number back, he was prompted to enter his Social Security number in order to continue. Luckily, at that point, he hung up. He gave the BBB the phone number he was told to call. A search on the Internet matched a page on the Nomorobo.com website that contained an example of the same message he received:

“HELLO we have been trying to reach you this call is officially a final notice from S.S.A. Social Security Administration this call is to inform you that we have got an order to suspend your socials on immediate basis because we have found suspicious and fraudulent activities on your social to get more information about this case file please call immediately on our department number 203-896-0995 I repeat 203-896-0995 thank you “   (hear message at this link: https://bit.ly/2LOulPk)

“This appears to be the latest version of ‘robocall’ scams impersonating government agencies in order to persuade people to give personal information or money to the scammer,” said BBB President Jim Hegarty. “In this case, we fear that seniors who receive this call will panic, call the number back and provide whatever information the con artist requests.” This senior did call the Social Security Administration, which assured him the call did not come from their office. BBB reminds the public that government agencies DO NOT call unsolicited; rather, they send letters if they need to contact you.

This is the just the latest version of a scam which tries to scare people into giving away personal information. BBB has tips to help you avoid debt collection, identity theft, and spoofing scams. Consumers may report scams to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department reports 21-year old Rachel Renae Havens, of West Des Moines, was arrested September 7th. Havens was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of marijuana-2nd offense. 18-year old Devon Lee Fuller, of Adair, was also arrested during the same incident. Fuller was charged with Possession of Marijuana- 1st offense.  The charges stem from an investigation into a suspicious vehicle in the 3000 blk of 350th St. Both Havens and Fuller were released after posting bond.

(Radio Iowa) — Catholics in eastern Iowa are praying for those who have been affected by sexual abuse at the hands of priests in Iowa, in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the country. Worshippers gathered over the weekend at the Cathedral of Saint Raphael in Dubuque. Archbishop Michael Jackels led the service, praying for forgiveness. “We need resolve to protect the little ones from harm,” Jackels says. “We need heroic striving for holiness to counter the sins of clergy sex abuse and the failure of bishops to report.”

A recent investigation into alleged abuses by priests in Pennsylvania spurred the northeast Iowa archdiocese to organize the service. Jackels spoke openly about the abuse. “Victims of clergy sex abuse harmed in a horrible way, and hurting still, as are their families and friends,” Jackels says, “members of the Catholic church, ashamed and angry.”

According to the Church, 31 priests abused at least 160 minors in northeast Iowa archdiocese between the 1930s and 1990s. Since then, the organization has adopted new policies, mandating all reports be handed over to law enforcement.

(w/thanks to Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of foster children may be getting powerful psychiatric drugs prescribed to them without basic safeguards, says a federal watchdog agency that found a failure to care for youngsters whose lives have already been disrupted. A report released Monday by the Health and Human Services inspector general’s office found that about 1 in 3 foster kids from a sample of states were prescribed psychiatric drugs without treatment plans or follow-up, standard steps in sound medical care. Kids getting mood-altering drugs they don’t need is only part of the problem. Investigators also said children who need medication to help them function at school or get along in social settings may be going untreated. The drugs include medications for attention deficit disorder, anxiety, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Foster kids are much more likely to get psychiatric drugs than children overall.

“We are worried about the gap in compliance because it has an immediate, real-world impact on children’s lives,” said Ann Maxwell, an assistant inspector general. Among the situations investigators encountered was the case of a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with ADHD, learning and speech disorders, outbursts of temper and defiance, and hair-pulling disorder. He had been put on four psychiatric drugs. But a medication review questioned the need for some of the medications. Of the four, two were discontinued and one was reduced in dosage, investigators said. Two different medications were prescribed. Investigators found no evidence that a treatment plan for the boy had been developed in the first place, before starting him on medication.

In another case, an 11-year-old boy had been put on two medications after being diagnosed with ADHD, anxiety and behavior problems. But over a three-month period his foster mother had problems getting prescription refills. By the fourth month, the boy’s life was out of control. His decline included stealing, lying, bullying and an in-school suspension. Investigators found there was no requirement in that state for case workers to follow up with foster parents about medications. The lack of effective follow-up contributed to the boy’s downward spiral. “These children are at greater risk of not getting the medications they need, but equally important, they are at risk of getting powerful medications that they do not need,” Maxwell said.

The inspector general is recommending that the HHS Administration for Children and Families develop a strategy to help states meet their existing requirements for prescribing psychiatric drugs to foster children, and to generally raise standards for case-by-case oversight. In a formal response to the report the children’s agency said it may need additional legal authority. The agency also said it is committed to making sure foster children get psychiatric medications only when medically appropriate. Officials noted that the inspector general’s findings covered just five states. Foster children come into the mental health system with added complications. Their most basic connections in life have been stressed or severed. They may have suffered neglect or abandonment. They may have witnessed or been a victim of abusive behavior or violence.

A 2010 study from the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute found that estimated rates of psychiatric drug use among youth in foster care are much higher (13 percent to 52 percent) than among youth overall (4 percent). Compounding the challenge for foster children is the fact that responsibility for their well-being is often divided among foster parents, birth parents, relatives and case workers. That can increase chances for miscommunication and conflict, not to mention everyday problems going unaddressed until they escalate. Caring for foster kids is a shared responsibility of state, local and federal agencies. The federal government provides grants to state programs and also covers health care for foster children through Medicaid, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on psychiatric drugs. Nationally, it’s been estimated that about 120,000 children in foster care take at least one such medication.

The inspector general scrutinized a sample of 125 cases from each of five states with the highest overall percentages of foster children treated with psychiatric drugs. Those states were Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Virginia. The cases covered the period from October 2014 through March 2015. Investigators looked at each state’s compliance with its own particular requirements for treatment planning and follow-up. Maxwell said the finding that 34 percent of children did not have either treatment plans or follow-up monitoring translates to about 4,500 children in the five states examined. She said the national number would certainly be higher but the design of the inspector general’s review did not allow for a simple extrapolation. Even among the five states cited there were wide differences.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Another trial date has been set for a Nebraska resident accused of stabbing to death a woman in northwest Iowa. Woodbury County court records show attorneys for both sides sought a delay for the trial of 20-year-old Melissa Camargo-Flores, of Dakota City, Nebraska. The new trial starting date set last week is Feb. 19. Her trial already had been rescheduled to start Tuesday in Sioux City. Her first trial starting date was July 10.

Camargo-Flores has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the Sioux City slaying of 24-year-old Kenia Alvarez-Flores on April 8. Court documents say Camargo-Flores admitted stabbing Alvarez-Flores and told investigators she’d been involved in a relationship with the victim’s boyfriend. Authorities say the two women were not related.

Jury selection is set to take place today (Monday) in Decatur County, in the case of a central Iowa man accused of setting fire to a home in Guthrie Center, killing two young girls who were inside at the time. 28-year old Patrick Ryan Thompson, of Ames, faces two felony charges of first degree murder, two additional felony charges of attempted murder, along with a felony first degree arson, charge. The charges stem from a May 2017 incident that resulted in the deaths of 12-year-old Paige Exline and 16-year-old Shakiah Cockerham. If a jury is selected today and seated, the trial itself may also begin, with opening statements from the Defense and Prosecution.

Last month Thompson’s stepfather James Exline was sentenced to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing Paige Exline between June 2016 and April 2017. The trial for Noah Exline, Paige’s brother and Thompson’s stepbrother, is set to take place in October. Noah Exline faces several felony charges for the alleged sexual abusing of Paige Exline.

Thompson’s trial was originally scheduled to be held in Guthrie County, but was moved to Decatur County on September 6^th, due to extensive media coverage, the perceived inability to select a fair jury. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted of first degree murder, and up to 25 years if convicted on any of the other charges.