(Creston, IA) – The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 10-a.m., Tuesday, of 49-year-old April Danell Gross, of Creston. She was arrested in the 500 block of Livingston Street for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Driving While License Suspended. Gross was cited, and released from the scene with her citation along with a Promise to Appear (in court).

DES MOINES, Iowa – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Connecticut man was sentenced on March 5th, 2026, to nine years’ imprisonment for wire fraud and money laundering stemming from his participation in a romance scam that affected victims across the country, including in central Iowa.

According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, 30-year-old Naabanyin Aniagyei-Cobbold played an integral part in an extensive romance scam conspiracy—a fraudulent scheme in which individuals create fake profiles on internet dating sites and other social media platforms to exploit victims for financial gain. Aniagyei-Cobbold operated a fake company, Alpha Distributions LLC, that he used to receive money from victims. Aniagyei-Cobbold recruited and coached at least one other individual through creating a sham entity, a website, and opening bank accounts—all for the purpose of receiving money from romance scam victims.

Aniagyei-Cobbold received over $1.5 million from victims, including over $400,000 from a victim living in the Southern District of Iowa. The victims sent Aniagyei-Cobbold money at the request of their purported romantic partners, believing it was going to be used to facilitate uniting them with their partner, among other things. Many victims drained their retirement accounts, sold their homes and vehicles, returned to work after retirement, and borrowed substantial sums from friends and family.

During the conspiracy, Aniagyei-Cobbold created and starred in a music video titled “S.C.A.M.” which contained lyrics about receiving “scam money” and “laundering it up,” with “money coming in” and “living lavish.” In one frame of the video, Aniagyei-Cobbold poses next to a vehicle on which “SCAM” is spelled out in on the hood of the car in one-hundred-dollar bills. When confronted by the FBI, Aniagyei-Cobbold lied about the nature of Alpha Distributions LLC and why the victims were sending him so much money, claiming Alpha Distributions was a legitimate company used to source electronics for individuals in Africa. He produced false invoices, receipts, and other documentation in response to a federal grand jury subpoena in an attempt to further obstruct the investigation.

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Omaha Field Office Eugene Kowel said in a news release, “Romance scammers prey on victims when they are at their most vulnerable. They exploit people by convincing them they are in a real relationship, then slowly abuse that trust to steal their life savings, often leading to bankruptcy. This case is an egregious example of the ruthless persistence exhibited by scammers to enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable people. The FBI will continue working with all of our partners to apprehend these criminals and bring them to justice.” Polk County Sheriff Kevin J. Schneider added, “The financial and emotional harm caused by this scheme has been devastating.

“Victims were deliberately targeted and manipulated through deception and false relationships, often losing money they could not afford to lose. Many were elderly or living on fixed incomes, and the impact has extended beyond financial loss to broken trust, emotional trauma, and lasting hardship for families.”The Polk County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the strong partnership with our federal law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in holding those responsible accountable and seeking justice for victims across central Iowa. We remain committed to protecting our communities, supporting victims, and working collaboratively to uphold the rule of law.”

In addition to the term of imprisonment, Aniagyei-Cobbold was ordered to pay $1,554,442.46 in restitution. After completing his prison term, Aniagyei-Cobbold will serve a three-year term of supervised release. Co-defendant, Nana Takyiwa Adonu, will be sentenced on July 16, 2026. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Omaha Cyber Task Force and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

According to the FBI, in 2024, approximately 59,000 people fell victim to romance-related scams, losing over $672 million dollars. The FBI says that many times, once a victim realizes that they have been exploited, they feel embarrassed or ashamed, and do not want to let anyone know what happened to them, including law enforcement. However, the FBI encourages anyone who has been victimized by this fraud or unsuccessfully targeted to file a complaint. If you suspect an online relationship is a scam, stop all contact immediately. If you have already sent money, report any transfer of funds to your financial institution and contact law enforcement.

If you or someone you know has been targeted by a scam, contact the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 1-888-777-4590 or file a complaint online: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint. You can also report fraud complaints to your local FBI field office by calling 1‑800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or visiting https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety.

(Des Moines, IA – Iowa DNR News) – Once easily visible in large winter flocks scratching in picked crop fields along timber edges for waste grain, Iowa’s wild turkeys will seemingly disappear into the landscape as the days lengthen and temperatures warm. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says driven by instinct, males will begin calling, displaying and competing against other males for the attention of the hens as part of the annual breeding season. In this arena, steps the turkey hunter – who tries to mimic the hens and frustrate the toms (mature) and jakes (one-year old male’s) to the point of investigating why she is not responding to his calls.

Jim Coffey, Iowa DNR Forest Wildlife Biologist, says “Turkey hunting is an intimate experience, calling the birds close, making it go against instinct, using your experience and skills learned from time spent in the woods to try to trick that bird to coming to you. And if everything goes right, only around 22-25 percent of our tags get filled. Even the most experienced turkey hunters make mistakes.” Last year, more than 50,000 tags were sold and hunters reporting harvesting more than 15,000 birds; the second highest total since mandatory harvest began in 2006. “We had a good turkey hatch in 2025, and that was on top of a good hatch in 2024, so we should have a good number of jakes and young toms available this spring,” Coffey said.

Considered a woodland species, turkeys can be found in grasslands, field edges and other places you don’t expect to see them. Birds were harvested in all of Iowa’s 99 counties in the 2025 spring season. Iowa’s spring turkey hunting offers four split seasons, where hunters may choose up to two seasons, with at least one being season four. Seasons spread out hunting pressure to provide positive experience. Surveys indicate that hunter satisfaction is highest when they do not run into another hunter while hunting and when they hear a lot of gobbling. With a few weeks to go till the season starts, Coffey said now is a good time to go through the equipment and gear to make sure it still works and fits, and to practice calling. “Spring weather could be finicky – it could be in the 70s or snowing,” he said. “And just a reminder, it will be tick season.”

Hunting safety reminder

• Hunters should write out their hunting plan that identifies the hunt location, who’s on the hunt and outlines their role, describes how the hunt will unfold and when the hunters are expected to return home. Hunters are encouraged to leave a copy of the plan with someone or somewhere easy to find, in the event of an emergency.
• Hunters are reminded to avoid wearing patriotic colors – red, white and blue – that are colors found on a male turkey head and waddle, and to not shoot at movement. Identify the target and what’s beyond it, especially with the new loads that have increased range.
• If another hunter walks in to your area, Coffey said remain still and say in a clear voice ‘Hunter over here.’ “The person should turn and walk directly away,” he said.

Those who harvest a bird are required to report their harvest through the harvest reporting system. It is essential and mandatory to report the bird, which helps the DNR with management. “There are plenty of birds – be mindful of other hunters out there – they’re out there to have fun too,” he said.

Youth Season

Youth season is designed to be a mentoring experience, teaching the youth about turkey hunting and building skills, like learning how to call.

SEASONS

• Youth-only – residents only, age 15 and younger – April 10-12
• Season 1 – April 13-16
• Season 2 – April 17-21
• Season 3 – April 22-28
• Season 4 – April 29 – May 17
• Resident Archery Only – April 13 – May 17

(Council Bluffs, IA) – A Judge in the Pottawattamie County case against a man charged in connection with a shooting incident in Avoca on Oct. 9th, 2025, has granted another request by Defense Attorney Joseph Hrvol, to continue the jury trial of Shaun Patrick McCarthy, of Avoca. The trial was previously continued until March 10th, but on Monday, Judge Margaret Reyes granted the Defense’ request to delay the proceedings until 9:30-a.m. on April 14th, in Council Bluffs. The 29-year-old McCarthy faces charges that include domestic abuse assault, attempted murder, reckless use of a firearm, going armed with intent, three counts of child endangerment—substantial risk, and willful injury resulting in bodily injury. He has pleaded not guilty.

On October 9th, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office took a report at a little after 8-p.m., of a person injured in a shooting in Avoca. The victim suffered minor injuries in the shooting. Deputies arrived on scene and determined the shooting occurred at a rural residence just west of Avoca, that the suspect was believed to still be in the home with minor children, and more gunfire was reported from the rural residence.

The Pottawattamie County Emergency Response Team and Negotiators responded to the scene west of Avoca. While deploying to the residence more gunfire was heard coming from near the home, and a male suspect, identified as Shaun McCarthy, was located outside. After a brief standoff, McCarthy was taken into custody, and the minor children were found to be safe and unharmed inside the home.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol.

(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the Ankeny-based Casey’s convenience store chain says he’s not worried at this point about gas sales despite what is happening with Iran. Casey’s C-E-O Darren Rebelez says this is similar to when Russia invaded Ukraine, and oil prices were impacted and gas costs went up.”Wholesale prices move up, retail prices move up, but tend to move a little bit more slowly. And so margins get a little bit compressed on the front side of that curve,” he says. Rebelez says the gas margin, or the amount they make on each gallon, tends to increase. “When there’s an ultimate inflection point and the costs start to come down, retail prices will come down as well, but also tend to come down more slowly and the margin expands,” he says. “So over the course of the cycle, it historically has ended up being a net positive from a fuel margin standpoint.”

He says that is what they saw the last time a war impacted oil and gas prices. “The history from the most recent event with the Ukraine war, that’s exactly what played out. Margins did get a little bit compressed, but not bad. I mean, the quarter, our quarter in 2022, where we had the first initial shock from the Ukraine war, we printed a 36 cent fuel margin that quarter. Then the subsequent three quarters were all over 40 cents a gallon,”Rebelez says. Rebelez says they are also not worried right now about people cutting back on how much gas they buy. “We really don’t start to see any level of demand destruction until we’re approaching five dollars a gallon at retail,” he says. “And we, as we sit here today, we’re right around three dollars a gallon in our footprint. So we have quite a ways to go before we would be concerned from a volume standpoint.”

Rebelez made his comments on a conference call to discuss their third quarter results. The company reported net income for the quarter was up 49 percent compared to last year at just more than 130 million dollars. Total fuel gross profit for the quarter was up 15 percent with a fuel margin of 41 cents a gallon.

(An Iowa News Service report) – A key health committee in the Iowa Legislature has defeated a measure that would have increased the state’s tobacco and e-cigarette taxes.

Iowa hasn’t changed the rate in 19 years, and proponents of the increase say it’s aimed at curbing the cancer rate in Iowa, which reports the second-highest number of new cases in the nation.

Senate Study Bill 3415 would raise the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 65 cents, from the current average of $1.36 cents to just over $2. It would also impose a 15% excise tax on e-cigarette and consumable hemp products. But the measure failed in the Health and Human Services Committee by a single vote.

Kristina Hamilton, Iowa advocacy director for the American Lung Association, said the bill is important, as smoking remains the number one risk factor for lung cancer.

“Eighty to 90% of lung cancer cases are due to cigarette smoking,” she said, “and lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, in Iowa and nationwide.”

Backers of the bill are still hopeful. Since the measure deals with taxes, it was not subject to the first legislative deadline and can still be reconsidered, despite the committee vote.

Iowa hasn’t raised its tobacco tax since 2007, and Hamilton said recent data show that doing so could do more than target the state’s cancer rate. It could also discourage young people from smoking or vaping in the first place.

“When you make tobacco products less affordable,” she said, “you can help prevent around 2,500 Iowa kids from becoming adults who smoke, and reduce smoking among teens by more than 10%.”

Revenue from taxes on tobacco and e-cigarettes helps fund the state’s Health Care Trust Fund, which is responsible for a large share of Iowa’s portion of Medicaid funding.

(Radio Iowa) – A bipartisan group of House members has approved one of Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s priorities — a bill that would require adults and juveniles arrested for a serious crime in Iowa to submit a D-N-A sample. Republican Representative Bill Gustoff of Des Moines says the sample would not be a full D-N-A genome, but would have critical data that’s unique to the person.

“It’s a court-tested, effective tool that has help solve literally thousands of crimes and bring closure to the victims of violent crimes and their families in over 30 states,” Gustoff said. Nine of the attorney general’s fellow Republicans joined most House Democrats in opposing the bill. Representative Charley Thomson, a Republican from Charles City, says there’s no doubt D-N-A is a powerful tool for law enforcement, but the bill requires an unconstitutional search of a person who’s been arrested.

“It’s not a fingerprint,” Thomson said. “It’s a library and it’ll be another brick in our digital prison.” Under current Iowa law, D-N-A is collected when someone is convicted of an aggravated misdemeanor or a felony, but not when they are arrested. The bill to collect D-N-A samples from anyone arrested for felonies or aggravated misdemeanors now goes to the Senate for review.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House has passed a bill to bar women and children in Iowa who are in the country illegally from receiving federal food assistance from the Women, Infants and Children program. Representative Austin Harris, a Republican from Moulton, says that’s the policy for food stamps and Medicaid — only U-S citizens and legal residents are eligible.

“Are we a nation of the laws or not? Do we play by the rules or not?” Harris asked at the end of debate on the bill. “Do we put Iowans first or do we allow people who broke into this country to take advantage of these public assistance programs?” WIC provides nutritious food to pregnant and breastfeeding women, their babies and children until they reach their 5th birthday and citizenship is not currently required for enrollment. Representative Angel Ramirez, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says WIC benefits are not a luxury.

“Hunger does not check papers. Hunger does not check status,” Ramirez said. “This bill is a political point written in infant formula and the losing side is a starving baby.” Under the bill, children under the age of five who were born in the U.S. or who have legal status could receive WIC benefits, but if their mother is an illegal alien, she would not. The senate has not yet taken a vote on the policy.

(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans, with the support of a handful of Democrats, have voted to limit the powers future governors would be able to exercise in emergencies. The bill would bar governors from ordering the closure of churches or businesses and it would require legislative approval of any election-related changes. Governors could not shut down churches, private businesses. Representative John Wills, a Republican from Spirit Lake, says it’s designed to restore balance after what happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your body belongs to you — no forced vaccines under emergency powers,” Wills said. “And most importantly we give ourselves and the Legislative Council when we’re not in session, the ‘kill switch’ to end any emergency proclamation with a simple majority vote.” Representative Beth Wessell-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames, was among the 30 House members who voted against the bill.

“I choose to lean in on the side of safety of all Iowans in the case of an emergency,” Wessell-Kroeschell said. “We don’t know what that next emergency will be.” Democrats say Republicans are advancing this and other bills to limit the authority of future Iowa governors in case Democrat Rob Sand is elected in November.

One bill would shorten the terms for the people governors appoint to state boards and commissions and require legislative approval for rules written by state agencies to implement Iowa laws. Another sets up a system that would keep state government operating on the previous year’s spending levels if the legislature and governor cannot agree on a new state budget by July 1st.