Two people were arrested on separate charges Thursday afternoon, in Creston. According to the Creston Police Department, 28-year old Tyler James Hicks, of Creston, was arrested on an Adair County warrant. He was being held in the Adair County Jail on a $2,000 cash bond.

And, 24-year old Rebecca Adeline Holbrook, of Lenox, was arrested in the 800 block of Taylor Street, in Creston, on a charge of Theft in the 5th and 4th Degrees. Holbrook was later released from the Union County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

Police in Red Oak have arrested a man for Disorderly Conduct. 34-year old Keith Andre Smith, of Red Oak, was taken into custody in the 100 block of E. Grimes Street at around 3:40-a.m. today (Friday).  Smith was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 cash bond.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman has released a report on a special investigation of the Anthon Rescue Squad located in Anthon that shows thousands of dollars of improper use credit cards and the organization’s money. Mosiman says the investigation focused on former secretary/treasurer Kristine Roggatz. “Our investigation identified almost 92-thousand of improper disbursements and a little over nine-thousand dollars of unsupported disbursements for a total impact to the Anthon Rescue Squad of 100-thousand-956 dollars,” according to Mosiman.

A majority of the funds went to pay off credit cards. Mosiman says the improper disbursements included almost 81-thousand dollars in payments on credit cards that were in Roggatz’s name, and there were several cash withdrawals from A-T-M’s from the organization’s checking account by Roggatz.

The State Auditor was called in after the city and rescue squad staff was contacted by a collection agency regarding a Capital One credit card established in the organization’s name which they were not aware of. “We actually identified no payments using the Anthon Rescue Squad’s funds to the Capitol One card — but we did find payments to a Staples credit card, two Citi business credit cards, a Commerce Bank credit card and a Sam’s Club Discover card — again totaling almost eighty-one-thousand dollars,” Mosiman says.

She says there were 19 cash withdrawals made at A-T-Ms and purchases from phone service providers, online vendors, and retail vendors.  Mosiman says there was a lack of oversight, and it was something that could be easily taken care of by the organization. She says the easiest thing that can be done is to have the bank statements sent to someone not involved in depositing the money and they can review them and see if there is any unusual activity.

The audit covered a period from January 2009 through December of 2014, and Mosiman reported it was not possible to determine if additional amounts were improperly disbursed because bank statements and images of checks redeemed prior to January 1st, 2009 were not available. Copies of the report have been filed with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.

(Radio Iowa)

A substance abuse treatment provider in central Iowa has withdrawn its federal lawsuit against Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield that had alleged the insurance provider owes them millions of dollars in unpaid claims. The St. Gregory Retreat Center says it is dismissing its lawsuit and admitted its original claims of fraud and misconduct, including statements made during a 2016 news conference, were ultimately without merit.

A federal court came to a similar conclusion when it dismissed St. Gregory’s claims against the insurer earlier this year. In a news release, St. Gregory officials apologized for statements and actions that the release says “exacerbated a two-year long contract dispute over the manner and accuracy of claims the substance abuse treatment center submitted to Wellmark.

Although that dispute is now resolved, St. Gregory’s is no longer a provider in Wellmark’s network.” Wellmark has dismissed additional fraud and RICO claims it filed against St. Gregory’s following the announcement of the dismissal of the lawsuit.

St. Gregory’s Retreat Center has facilities located near Adair, and Bayard.

(Radio Iowa)