(Corning, IA) – The Adams County Sheriff’s Office today (Friday) reported a man from Polk County was arrested Thursday night on sex-related charges. 45-year-old Craig Lee Christianson II, of Des Moines, was arrested at around 8:15-p.m. on charges that include: Sexual Exploitation of a Minor (Class B felony); Enticing a Minor and Grooming, both of which are Class-D felonies. Christianson was being held in the Adams County Jail.

KCCI-TV provided additional details, Saturday, noting Christiansen is an Urbandale tattoo artist. The station says according to the criminal complaint, Christianson was informed that the person he believed he was communicating with was 14 years old. He allegedly made arrangements to meet the undercover detective who was posing as a teenager, and was arrested Thursday when he arrived at that location.

Christianson is expected to appear in court Friday, Jan. 30th.

Craig Lee Christianson II (Adams County S/O booking photo)

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, today (Friday), announced seven people from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska were sentenced recently to serve time in  federal prison, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs and Omaha metropolitan area. According to public court documents, between June and September 2024, seven co-defendants conspired together to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Council Bluffs and Omaha metropolitan areas. Defendants were supplied with several pounds of methamphetamine from Mexican-based drug suppliers.

• Aaron Matthew Lewis, 39, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 180-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
• Devon Leigh Miller, 35, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 204-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
• Spencer Allen Cornell, 32, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 224‑month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
• James Dwight Mills, 38, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to a 264-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
• Sanel Dizdarevic, 32, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 132-month prison term, followed by a five-year term of supervised release.
• Kiley Lucille Marie Parrish, 24, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 96-month prison term, followed by a seven-year term of supervised release.
• Alyx Megan O’Hare, 37, of Omaha, was sentenced to a 60-month prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The case was investigated by Council Bluffs Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Pottawattamie County Sheriff Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

(Radio Iowa) – Democrats in the Iowa House are proposing a dramatic increase in state funding for water quality projects along with two new tax credits for farmers who implement conservation practices that prevent soil and fertilizer run-off. The plan does NOT call for new regulations on manure and fertilizer applications on farmland. Representative Kenan Judge, a Democrat from Waukee, says it’s time to end the finger pointing and adopt solutions. “We know Iowans want healthy water,” Judge said. “We know farmers want to take care of the land and take care of the water.”

Representative Austin Baeth, a Democrat from Des Moines who’s a doctor, says water pollution is contributing to Iowa’s high cancer rates. “This is our starting point, to try to have everybody meet in the middle in a bold and unified response,” Baeth said, “because right now, the status quo has been folks putting their head in the sand and ignoring the problem.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley says Iowa is spending more money than any other state in the country on water quality efforts and Grassley says he and other Republicans need to do a better job to spread the message about what has already been done.

(Creston, IA) – A man and a woman from Union County were arrested late Thursday, on separate charges. According to the Creston Police Department, 27-year-old Steven Eugene Stow, of Creston, was arrested at the Creston/Union County Law Enforcement Center at around 5:30-p.m. Stow was charged with Willful Injury and taken to Union County Jail. He was released after posting at $10,000 cash or surety bond.

And, at around 7:25-p.m., Thursday, 40-year-old Fallon Danielle May, of Creston, was arrested at a residence in the 900 block of W. Mills Street, on charges that include Violation of Probation and Violation of No Contact Order. May was transported to the Clarke County Jail in Osceola, where she was being held without bond until making her initial court appearance.

DAVENPORT, Iowa – A woman from Moline, IL, was sentenced January 20th, 2026, to 139 months (11 1/2-years) in federal prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges out of Iowa. According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, 36-year-old Rianne Len Brinker embezzled $551,961.66 from her employer, located in Bettendorf (IA), over a three-year period from October 2020 to October 2023. As part of the fraud, Brinker applied for a credit account that reimbursed funds to her personal bank account and opened a credit card using the identifiers of her employer. Brinker also registered a fraudulent business with the Illinois Secretary of State in an attempt to legitimize her theft from her employer.

In 2008, Brinker was convicted of credit union embezzlement in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois. Brinker was also convicted in Illinois and Iowa for other theft-related offenses.

After completing her term of imprisonment, Brinker will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Brinker was also ordered to pay $534,461.66 in restitution.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the FBI.

(Radio Iowa) – The elementary school principal for Woodbine in western Iowa was surprised with the national Milken Educator Award Thursday for her teacher mentoring efforts. Jill Ridder says her leadership team and teachers also deserve credit for implementing the personalized learning program that challenges students to move forward. “And I feel like that work has kind of work is different and started to become noticeable around the state and our surrounding communities, and people were starting to ask questions about how it was possible,” she says. Ridder says the approach looks at the broader picture with real data of what was happening in the classrooms.

“We moved from, you know, how we felt students were doing the, cardiac data, to actual, tangible data that we can look at and analyze and then put research based strategies in place to progress our students forward,” Ridder says. She says they kept working and changing the last several years to find the best way to help students. “We had failures along the way that we had to pick ourselves back up and make changes mid year. But we did that all together with always a student centered focus. And I believe that has led us to the results that we are seeing at our elementary at this time,” she says. More than 75 percent of elementary students in Woodbine are performing at least a year above grade level in reading or math.

Ridder started as a special education teacher and taught kindergarten, second and fifth grade before becoming an administrator six years ago. She says her passion is teaching, so she didn’t want to just sit behind a desk after becoming principal. “I have been in other schools where leaders are very, you know, successful in doing that managerial side of things. But I am very passionate about instruction as well and I want to be able to not only grow our students but grow our teachers because I know that we cannot grow our students without great staff,” Ridder says. Ridder says she felt being at all the meetings and working through the issues with everyone was the best way to lead.

“People have asked are you ever going to step out and kind of let the teachers do it? My teachers could absolutely do it on their own, they are great and they have learned a lot over the last few years, bBut I feel like my visible leadership is very important and that is how I know my school in and out. And so I continue to be highly involved in that,” she says. Ridder was told the school was being honored for improved test scores, and says she was very surprised and excited to learn she had won the award.

The award comes with a 25-thousand dollar prize. Ridder says she hasn’t had time yet to decide how she will use that money.

(Radio Iowa) – With wicked winter weather pushing wind chills as low as 40-below zero this (Friday) morning, Iowans are being warned if they don’t absolutely need to go out, to stay home. If you decide to brave the roads and your vehicle somehow slides into a ditch, Brian Ortner at Triple-A-Iowa, offers a few suggestions on staying safe in the extreme cold. “Stay in your car, keep it running, have that heat inside to keep you warm,” Ortner says. “Turn your hazard lights on to increase your visibility. Call for help, obviously with your phone, share your GPS location and even, hopefully before you leave, tell somebody where you’re going and let people know that you’re on your way.” While your life may depend on keeping the car warm, Ortner says it’s likely best if you don’t leave the engine running.

“Do run it sparingly. Don’t let it run continuously. Let it run for about 10 to 15 minutes. Crack a window for ventilation, and layer clothing,” Ortner says. “Have that emergency pack in your car. Make sure you have blankets and coats and most importantly, have a portable charger for your phone.” If your car won’t start in this morning’s frigid weather, your battery may have been taxed to the point it can no longer do its job. “Even in the cold, you can try to give it a jump start. That’s going to be your best bet to get the car up and rolling again,” Ortner says, “but more than likely, with the work your battery’s been doing in this weather, your battery may need a replacement.”

The motor club spokesman offers one other nugget of advice for motorists during this bitter cold spell: “Make sure if you do have to go out, that your gas tank is full,” Ortner says. “Don’t let that gas tank drop below a quarter of a tank, because if you do and you are stranded, having that full tank of gas will help keep your car running and keep you in that warmth for as long as possible until help arrives.”

Winter weather can be deadly. A report from the U.S. Department of Transportation says each year, an average of 1,300 people are killed and 116,000 are injured in crashes on snowy or icy pavement.

OMAHA, Neb. — KETV in Omaha says a watchdog group said the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System put some patients and employees at risk. The inspector general’s report investigated allegations at the inpatient mental health unit. The report found things like not enough lighting, inconsistent staffing, and limited access to restrooms for female patients. VA leaders agreed on multiple recommended changes from the report.

Read the full report here: https://www.vaoig.gov/reports/hotline-healthcare-inspection/review-inpatient-mental-health-unit-environment-care-staffing

(Radio Iowa) – A bill about state regulations for energy projects — like nuclear reactors and battery storage facilities — has cleared a subcommittee in the Iowa House unanimously. However, after fielding a string of complaints about the bill the bipartisan panel is asking critics to submit alternatives they’d support. Representative Hans Wilz of Ottumwa spoke to a large group of lobbyists after he and the two other subcommittee members met privately to discuss how to proceed.

“We feel we should take this forward, but with the conversation we’ve had with you and your representation of ratepayers and stakeholders, we expect you guys to send us the suggestions that you feel would make this better,” Wilz said. There’s not a single utility company, business association or advocacy group that supports the bill, which includes a few elements of a proposal Governor Reynolds made a year ago. Matt Hinch, a lobbyist for MidAmerican Energy, asked legislators what problem they’re trying to fix with the bill.

“Iowa has arguably one of the best regulatory structures in the nation,” Hinch said. “…Iowa is dead last when it relates to the increases in the average retail rate for electricity. Over the last five years, the average retail rate for electricity has increased by four cents per kilowatt hour on average. Iowa’s has increased by one cent.” Ted Stopulus, a lobbyist for Alliant Energy, suggests removing a section of the bill that he says may require the Iowa Utilities Commission to link its decisions on wind and solar projects with previous decisions on other types of energy generation.

“We believe an all-of-the-above energy strategy is the best strategy and putting the thumb on the scale one way or another hinders that policy objective,” Stopulous said. Two groups object to a sentence in the bill that says it’s the intent of the legislature to encourage development of nuclear electric power. Robert Palmer is a lobbyist for the Iowa Business Energy Coalition which represents 10 of the largest manufacturers in Iowa.

“When that gets over to the Iowa Utilities Commission, that could be interpreted as the Iowa legislature putting more weight behind nuclear,” he said, “and thereby leading potentially it being approved in certain circumstances where other other technologies may be valuable.” Bob Rafferty, a lobbyist for Iowa Business for Clean Energy, says that statement goes on to say Iowa should pursue nuclear energy “to meet local and regional needs.”

“When it says regional needs and that term, it’s going to refer to the MISO footprint. The MISO footprint includes 13 states,” Rafferty said. “I don’t think (Iowa) ratepayers should be on the hook to build nuclear energy for Illinois.”

MISO refers to the MidContinent Independent System Operator which manages the flow of electricity along high-voltage, long-distance power lines in the region.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent pleaded guilty today (Jan. 22nd) to both charges against him. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said in a news release, 55-year-old Ian Andre Roberts entered guilty pleas to False Statement for Employment and Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm.

According to public court documents, Roberts falsely stated that he was a United States citizen on employment paperwork related to his position at the Des Moines Public Schools in June 2023. Roberts was not and has never been a United States citizen. On September 26, 2025, Roberts knowingly possessed a loaded Glock pistol in his vehicle while knowing that he was unlawfully present in the United States. On the same day, Roberts also possessed three additional firearms at his residence, including a loaded pistol, a loaded rifle, and a shotgun.

Roberts is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2026, and faces a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison on the firearms charge and up to five years in prison on the false statements charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, investigated this case, with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.