w/ Ric Hanson

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A pair of attorneys from central Iowa are getting a lot of attention for creating a phone app that gives motorists advice in the event they’re pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving. Bob Rehkemper and Matt Lindholm, both of West Des Moines, are the minds behind the “Oh Crap App!” and Rehkemper says it includes an “emergency button” for the driver to click if they’re stopped by a cop.  “First of all, it activates the phone’s voice recorder, so that any communication with law enforcement is documented and saved,” Rehkemper says. The “Oh Crap!” button also automatically sends an email to a chosen friend or family member, an attorney, and a bail bondsman. Rehkemper estimates that 95-percent of people are unaware of their rights, or what they should or shouldn’t do, when stopped by police.

“A lot of people have misconceptions…and don’t have a very good grasp on those rights,” Rehkemper says. The app has another function, which Rehkemper says is designed to educate people about their basic DUI rights. He says the first thing a motorist should do is “be polite and respectful” with the law officer. “Secondarily, most people don’t know that the field sobriety test — the eye test, the walk and turn, the one leg stand — they don’t have to submit to those,” Rehkemper says. “There is no requirement under the law that they do those. They do have the option of saying, ‘no thank you.'”

As of last week, more than 25-hundred people had downloaded the free app. It also includes a blood-alcohol content (BAC) “calculator” — allowing an individual to determine if they might be over the legal limit to drive. Rehkemper says he and Lindholm do not condone drinking and driving. It gets looked at by some people as, ‘oh, you’re condoning and you’re helping it happen,’ but when you look at the actual app and the information it provides, it’s primarily designed to educate the public on their legal rights, to clear up any ambiguity on what they do have to do and what they don’t have to do. That helps law enforcement and that also helps the individual facing that situation,” Rehkemper says.

The app is available for both iPhones and Android devices. https://www.facebook.com/OhCrapApp

(Radio Iowa)

(Updated 10:45-a.m. with suspected cause)

An old fire may have been what caused a new fire that burned furiously Monday night on the north side Atlantic. Alantic Fire Chief Mark McNees said crews responded to the City of Atlantic’s Yard Waste Site on the west side of the Schildberg Recreation Area, at around 8:50-p.m.  He says there was a tremendous amount of flames and embers being blown about from the large pile of burning sticks, wood, and large tree trunks. Some of the embers were flying over to the east side of the Recreation Area, as far as Buck Creek Road.

McNees said the pile will be smoldering for quite some time, even though they poured 13-to 14-thousand gallons of water on the fire. The fear now is that strong winds today will whip up more embers and cause another, separate blaze. McNees said it’s possible the fire could have been accidental or related to spontaneous combustion, but it’s too early to tell. He said City crews were compacting the pile of debris over the past couple of days, but it’s not clear if that had something to do with it.

Late this (Tuesday) morning, McNees said he thinks ashes from a very old pile west of Monday night’s fire was probably stirred-up by the wind and ignited the nearby pile. He said also that City crews have not lit any of the burn piles in quite some time.

Fire fighters were on the scene for a couple of hours. He said if the winds had kept up, the fire could have spread east toward Olive Street.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Public Safety says a police officer has been wounded during a traffic stop in eastern Iowa.  The department says the Maquoketa officer was shot after making a traffic stop around 2:50 a.m. Tuesday. The shooter fled the scene. No arrest has been reported.

The department says the officer was taken to Jackson County Regional Health Center in Maquoketa for treatment of a wound described as non-life-threatening.

w/ Ric Hanson

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Members of the CAM School District’s Board of Education Monday evening, discussed the sharing of a Superintendent with the Coon Rapids-Bayard Community School District. Last week it was announced CR-B Superintendent Rich Stoffers would be resigning in an effort to save his district money. Stoffers said he’s taken an early retirement package in order to save thousands of dollars for the district next year.

During Monday night’s CAM School Board meeting, Superintendent Steve Pelzer said he’d received a call March 24^th, asking if he would be interested in sharing his position at CAM, with the CR-B District. He said he didn’t answer the question, and has deferred until he had a chance to discuss the matter with CAM Board President Gary Dinkla and the rest of the Board in Monday’s Special Meeting.

School Districts sharing a Superintendent is nothing new. Several area districts share a Superintendent in an effort to save costs during times of declining enrollment and mounting expenses. Pelzer says Governor Branstad, Monday, signed into law a bill pertaining to Operational Sharing, which provides incentive monies to districts for just such purposes. CAM Board President Gary Dinkla said he and Pelzer spoke with CR-B School Board President Joel Davis about the possibility of sharing.

He said Davis had been in contact with other districts about a 60-40 split in the Superintendent’s time – meaning the home district would use that person 60-percent of the time. Dinkla said Davis’ Board didn’t want to jeopardize talks with other possible districts by asking for a 50-percent share. Dinkla said Davis was going to talk more with other districts and come up a timeline. Pelzer said the CR-B Board is having a meeting Wednesday night to discuss progress on those talks and the process for sharing.

As for Pelzer, he told the CAM Board he has no interest in sharing his job with another district…which is something he’s done before.. but it’s something CAM could consider in the future. That’s because there are significant financial incentives and possible saving for the district. He said he would consider stepping down and having the Board pursue other options, he wants to sit down with them and discuss a severance package, because he hadn’t planned on early retirement.

Gary Dinkla said there are no plans to pursue options such as sharing a superintendent, but talks will continue with CR-B to see if there is a mutual, beneficial interest in doing so.  

Officials with the U-S Department of Justice (DOJ) report an eastern Iowa man pleaded guilty Monday in Massachusetts, to federal child exploitation charges. The plea by 32-year old Joshua Dunfee, of Oxford Junction, came just moments before his jury trial was scheduled to begin Monday morning. Dunfee plead guilty to the coercion and enticement of a child to engage in illicit sexual activity and the sexual exploitation of a child to produce child pornography. His sentencing is scheduled for June 27th, 2014.

Officials say Dunfee posed as man by the name of “John” from “Hunt Photography” on Facebook, and communicated with a Massachusetts mother who was seeking employment as a model and believed Hunt Photography to be a legitimate business.   In October 2011, Dunfee contacted the mother and told her that Hunt Photography had a client willing to pay $20,000 for a mother-daughter bikini modeling contract.   Dunfee told the mother that in order to apply she would need to audition her daughter for him immediately and persuaded the mother to take her minor daughter out of school.

At Dunfee’s further direction, the mother placed her daughter on webcam for him to view for a 48-minute video call.   During this time, Dunfee was able to see and hear the mother and her minor daughter, but they were unable to see or hear him.During the “audition,” Dunfee directed via instant messenger that the minor be posed for him—first in a bra and underwear and then completely naked. Dunfee knew that the girl was a minor.

On Nov. 3, 2011, federal agents executed a search warrant at Dunfee’s residence, where law enforcement had traced the illicit conduct via IP address records.   A forensic examination of Dunfee’s computers (obtained during the execution of the search warrant) revealed various activities consistent with the use of certain platforms to communicate while posing as Hunt Photography, including Facebook, Skype and Windows Live Messenger Chat.

 
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide initiative created by the Department of Justice in 2006 that is designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.    

A carelessly discarded cigarette from a passing vehicle is being blamed for a large grass fire that occurred Monday afternoon north of Interstate 80, in Adair County. Adair Fire Chief Jordan Smith told KJAN News the fire started about two-miles east of the Adair Exit (77.5-mile marker) and was first paged out just before 3-pm, Monday. Smith said with the way the wind was blowing, the fire burned east-northeast along and north of the Interstate for about 2-miles. Firefighters managed to get the flames knocked down before they reached the westbound rest area, but not before the fire jumped 2 gravels roads as it raged eastward.

After the flames jumped one gravel road, and destroyed large, round hay bales.  He said 50-to 60 bales were lost. Smith said hay bale fires are almost impossible to extinguish unless you spread them out and hose them down, which is dangerous and time consuming. A neighboring farmer who has construction equipment used his excavator and dug a big hole to dump the bales in and cover them up, allow the fire to be snuffed out.

Three firefighters from Adair suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze. Smith says two had smoke inhalation, with another had minor burns to his face. The thick curtain of smoke created problems for motorists along Interstate 80. Visibility along the interstate was down to zero at time. Several law enforcement agencies were requested for traffic control. The eye-catching fire also attracted “rubber-neckers,” who Smith says can be a real hindrance to fire fighting efforts, and endanger lives.

Smith says firefighters from Adair, Casey, Stuart, Menlo, Anita, Wiota, Greenfield, Bridgewater, and Fontanelle were on the scene for about 5-hours, finally wrapping things up at around 8-pm, Monday.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say a man was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning after failing to pay for fuel. 20-year old Jeremy J. Navarrete, of Red Oak, was taken into custody at around 2:30-a.m., for Theft in the 5th Degree. He also did not possess a valid driver’s license. Bond was set at $300.

Authorities say Navarrete was arrested following an investigation into a complaint about a person who had pumped fuel into his vehicle and was unable to pay for it. The vehicle he was operating and filled with fuel was towed.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press…

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Officials for Sioux City and Woodbury County are trying to figure out if they should consolidate some services due to an unusual arrangement in place for decades. The city and county have separate public employees performing similar tasks.  James Van Bruggen, executive director of watchdog group Taxpayers Research Council, says sharing some services could increase collaboration and save taxpayer money.

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) – Fort Madison is considering whether to allow golf carts on city streets. The City Council will discuss the issue Tuesday night. City Manager Byron Smith says several cities in the area have adopted similar ordinances since 2011. He adds that a registration fee would generate some revenue.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected an appeal argument by Jonathan Narcisse in his fight to gain a spot on the Democratic primary ballot for governor. Last week a judge denied the former Des Moines school board member’s request to overturn a ruling by the Iowa secretary of state’s office that his nomination petitions were incomplete. On Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court agreed to hear Narcisse’s appeal and on Monday delivered an opinion that simply affirms the district court decision.

GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in west-central Iowa are investigating the death of a Des Moines area developer found inside a burnt vehicle. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says 64-year-old Bobby Joe Knapp was found inside the vehicle after someone reported it Sunday. The state medical examiner’s office says the cause and manner of Knapp’s death have not been released pending further investigation and lab testing.