Authorities have released the name of a woman whose body was found alongside a highway near Muscatine in eastern Iowa.
The Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as 20-year-old Lea Renae Ponce, who lived in Fairfield.
The sheriff’s office received a call around 1 a.m. Tuesday that reported a woman lying on a side of Iowa Highway 38. Arriving deputies found the body.
The parents of a child born with severe disabilities have won a multi-million dollar settlement in the state’s first so-called “wrongful birth” case.
According to the Fort Madison Daily Democrat, Jeremy and Pamela Plowman have been awarded a total settlement of $14.5M from Fort Madison Community Hospital.
$11.3M was awarded as the current value of medical expenses, custodial care, services needed, and adaptive housing for the disabled child. Around $2M was awarded for past and future emotional distress over the situation. The Plowman’s say they were not advised of the possible birth defects the child could have, and if they had been they would have terminated the pregnancy.
This was the first such case in the state, it went to the Iowa Supreme Court and was sent back to Lee County District Court. A trial was held in December. The judgement was made public on Wednesday.
Two Wapello men have been charged for burglaries that took place on Christmas Eve.
Authorities say 53-year-old Daniel Lewis and 45-year-old Trent Gillapsie have both been charged in the case. The two are alleged to have broken into and taken items from the Odessa Mechanical and Servpro buildings in Wapello.
Both face burglary, theft, and criminal mischief charges in relation to the case.
Lewis was also recently arrested on 2nd-offense OWI charges and is on parole, authorities say he is expected to face additional charges. He remains in custody in the Louisa County jail.
Gillapsie also faces additional charges for multiple probation violations, he’s posted bond on all charges and was released from the Louisa County jail.
If you’ve noticed an odd glow on the horizon, it’s nothing to worry about — just the restart procedure at the Iowa Fertilizer plant.
Officials at the Iowa Fertilizer Company say they had an unplanned power interruption yesterday which forced them into a restart procedure. Over the next few days you could see higher than normal flaring. Flaring is the flames that are sometimes visible above the plant.
They say the flaring could also change color. This should all subside within a few days.
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Ladarius Burton
A 20-year-old Fort Madison Man that eluded police since December is in custody.
Fort Madison Police Chief Tim Sittig says that on December 20th, Fort Madison police responded to a call at a trailer park about a man causing a disturbance with a handgun. When officers arrived the man, identified by witnesses as Ladarius Burton had left the area in a vehicle. A search of the area turned up a handgun that was later found to have been reported stolen from Des Moines County. Officers secured the weapon and took it as evidence.
Sometime later on the 20th, police spotted a car that matched the vehicle that was suspected as the one that Burton had left in. When officers attempted a traffic stop, a male suspect fitting Burton’s description ran from the vehicle into a field and eluded officers. The driver of the vehicle confirmed to authorities that the passenger in the car was Burton.
Based on witnesses testimony and evidence collected the Fort Madison Police Department filed a criminal complaint in North Lee County Court on December 24th, resulting in the court issuing a warrant for Ladarius Burton on a number of charges.
Ladarius Burton was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on warrants for 2 counts of assault, going armed with intent, carrying weapons and two counts of stolen property. Burton was transported to the Lee County Correctional Facility on $5500 bond pending his initial court appearance.
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Derick Carlson
The Burlington Police Department took 33-year-old Derick Carlson into custody on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a first offense OWI charge, Wednesday morning. Carlson was transported to the Des Moines County Jail where he posted bond and is free till his next court appearance.
Joshua Mariani
22-year-old Joshua Mariani was arrested by the Burlington Police Department at 12:49 Wednesday on a warrant accusing him of leaving the scene of an accident. He was transported to the Des Moines County jail and has posted a $1000 bond, he is free pending his next court appearance.
Autumn LaFortune
Two warrants were served on 37-year-old Autumn LaFortune by the Burlington Police Department Wednesday at 9:17 PM. She was wanted in Ottumwa on a warrant for being absent from custody, bond was set at $1000. The second warrant was from Oakdale and charges her with escape, that bond demands that LaFortune remains held with no bond.
Deborah Powell
51-year-old Deborah Powell was taken into custody by the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office at 11:12 PM Wednesday for failure to appear on two charges. Powell is facing a possession of a controlled substance charge as well as an OWI first-offense charge in Des Moines County Court and failed to show up for court. She was held on a $1000 cash only bond.
Great news for anyone looking at attending college here in Southeast Iowa — there’s a lot of scholarships available to help out with the cost.
SCC’s Marketing Communication Coordinator Meghan D’Souza says there are scholarships available for more people than you would think.
“There are a whole bunch of scholarships that we give,” D’Souza says. “It’s based on merit, need, program of study, or even the county you live in.” D’Souza says there are scholarships available for all different types of students.
The SCC Foundation gives out around $400K in scholarships annually, and D’Souza encourages anyone interested to apply. She says there’s a few steps to take to see if you qualify.
“They’ll need to complete a FAFSA, we need that on file. The most recent transcript, if they went to high school, or if they started college somewhere [else] we’ll need that,” D’Souza said.
For help with the FAFSA, D’Souza says you can attend the FAFSA Ready Iowa program on February 26th at either the Burlington or Keokuk campus. For more information on scholarships or programs available check out SCCiowa.edu.
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Chad Vice
The Lee County Narcotics Task Force has arrested a 43-year-old Fort Madison Man on drug trafficking charges.
Chad Vice was taken into custody by the Task Force and charged with possession with intent to deliver meth, he was in possession of between 5 and 100 grams at the time of his arrest. He is also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. Vice was taken to the Lee County Correctional Facility and held, pending his court appearance.
Melissa Bode
49-year-old Melissa Bode was taken into custody by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for failure to appear on a traffic violation. Bode is accused of driving on a suspended license and failed to pay the fine or appear in court. At the time of her arrest, she was also served a warrant for a violation of her probation for her conviction for possession of a controlled substance in January of 2017. Bode was transported to the Lee County Jail and held on a $5000 bond.
Antwan Brewster
19-year-old Antwan Brewster has been arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for a violation of his probation. Court records show that Brewster was convicted of 2nd-degree-robbery in October of 2017. Brewster was charged with unauthorized use of a credit card on January 2nd on a seven-count complaint from the Keokuk Police Department, resulting in a revocation report from the District 8 Probation Office and a warrant being issued. He was held on bond at the Lee County Detention Center.
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Marcus Williams
27-year-old Marcus Williams has been arrested on a warrant for voluntary absence from custody. According to court records, a warrant was issued in July of 2016 in the amount of $5000. The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office took Williams into custody at 2:35 Thursday afternoon and served the warrant. He has made his initial court appearance and will be back
Kewion Boyce
The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office took 22-year-old Kewion Boyce into custody on two warrants for violation of probation. He is being held with no bond at the Des Moines County Jail. Boyce is scheduled to be in court on Monday for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to charges of leaving the scene of an accident, operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent, assault of persons of a certain occupation, possession of a controlled substance and a drug tax stamp violation.
Judy Davis
33-year-old Judy Davis was taken into custody by the Burlington Police Department for failure to appear for her initial court date on an assault charge. Davis was taken to the Des Moines County Jail where she posted bond and is free till her next court date.
Corey Dawson
The Burlington Police Department arrested 36-year-old Corey Dawson on a Hardin County Iowa warrant for violation of his probation. His bond was set at #1000, Dawson is being held for extradition to Hardin County.
Timothy Stevenson
33-year-old Timothy Stevenson was arrested by the Burlington Police Department at 9:49 this (Friday) morning on charges of possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was taken to the Des Moines County Jail on a $2000 bond.
Michael Miller
30-year-old Michael Miller failed to appear for his arraignment on December 14th, on a charge of carrying a knife with an over five-inch blade. A $5000 warrant was issued for his arrest. The Burlington Police Department took Miller into custody and served the warrant at 12:08 this afternoon. Miller is being held at the Des Moines County Jail for his next court appearance.
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Officials at the State Penitentiary in Fort Madison have reported that an inmate set a fire in his cell then barricaded himself in the cell. According to a press release, the inmate then attacked prison staff when they entered the cell to remove the inmate and extinguish the fire.
The report says that staff received minor injuries and minor smoke inhalation. The inmate reportedly attempted to strike prison personnel with closed fists. The inmate was safely removed from the cell and the fire was extinguished without further incident.
Prison staff was treated at the prison medical facility and returned to work. The inmate’s name has not been released, he was taken to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City for treatment for a self-inflicted injury. The Prison was placed on restricted movement during the incident and to clear the smoke and has since returned to normal status.
The incident is under investigation.
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Ralph Cottrell
57-year-old Ralph Cottrell was arrested at 6:55 Friday evening by the Burlington Police Department on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was transported to the Des Moines County Jail on a $1000 bond where he is being held for his initial court appearance.
Charles Smith Jr.
The Burlington Police Department took custody of 38-year-old Charles Smith Jr. Saturday at 4:20 in the morning on three warrants from Des Moines County. According to the arrest record, Smith was served a warrant for second-degree-theft with a $5000 bond, a warrant for third-degree theft also with a $5000 bond and a warrant for fourth-degree theft that carried no bond. The warrants stem from a criminal complaint filed on January 10th, by the West Burlington Police Department.
A multi-car train derailment in Western Illinois shut down part of Highway 136 on Sunday.
Authorities say three-cars, including several tankers went off the tracks between county roads E2250 and N950 on Sunday. The highway was shut down as of Sunday evening while BNSF investigated the incident.
Authorities say despite initial concerns of a possible hazmat spill, that’s no longer a concern and no evacuation was required.
BNSF officials remain on scene cleaning up the damage.
Story Updated 1/15/18:
The search for a missing snowmobiler in Henry County ended in tragedy on Monday.
Authorities say 25-year-old Spencer Adams was found dead in the Skunk River around 10 AM on Monday morning. Rescue teams had been searching for him since around 2 o’clock that morning. His body was found around 3/4 of a mile downriver from his snowmobile, which was located West of Mount Pleasant at the Highway 34/Skunk River bridge.
Authorities say Adam’s body will be sent for a medical examination.
Original Story:
Authorities in Henry County are searching for a missing snowmobiler.
The Henry County Sheriff’s office says 25-year-old Spencer Adam is missing. His snowmobile was found near the Skunk River/Highway 34 bridge early this morning.
Authorities say Adam was not found near the snowmobile and is considered missing at this time. Henry and Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputies and the Iowa DNR are continuing to search the river area.
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The Burlington School Board will be meeting tonight at 7:00 PM in regular session.
Among the items to be discussed, the early retirement applications that the district has received. The board will consider the application of 10 teachers. The teachers’ early retirement is at a cost to the district of $270,000 or $135,000 a year for two years. The board will also discuss possible early retirement for approximately 50 non-certified staff that are eligible for a retirement package from the district.
The board will also consider replacing two of the district’s 65 passenger buses with two new 77 passenger buses. Hoglund Bus Company has presented the low bid of $192,500.
The board is expected to then enter closed session to discuss a student expulsion and hear an evaluation from Superintendent Pat Coen.
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The Burlington School Board met in regular session on Monday night and continued the process of realigning the district as part of the “Right Sizing” project.
Rev. Fred Starling
The board heard from Reverand Fred Starling on his concerns about the teacher that was recorded on video discussing the “Stand Your Ground Law” with students. The Reverand asked that the board update the public on the investigation and told the board about his concerns and those of others he had spoken with. Starling told the board that some people are considering about “where they are going to send their kids next year”. The board cannot comment during the open forum and was therefore unable to answer any of the concerns during the meeting and did not address the issue as part of the remainder of the nights meeting.
Following the open forum, the board dug into the early retirement for nine of the eligible “Certified Staff” that have accepted the offer from the district. The nine employees will receive $30,000 each over two years, totaling $270,000 of the $750,000 that the board had agreed they would spend. The board then turned its attention to the possibility of non-certified staff being offered an early retirement package. Following lengthy discussion and concerns about being able to fill the positions of those that may accept an offer from the district, a motion was made to allow 25 non-certified employees to take advantage of an offer of $25 for every year of service and $50 for each accrued sick day based on seniority. The early retirement package for non-certified staff exempts administrators and is estimated to cost the district $233,000. The combined total for each of the packages remained under the $750,000 limit the board had set.
The board also approved a change to the employee handbook to align teachers with the new assignments that will result from the “Right Sizing” plan, the new designations would be effective July 1st of 2019.
The board also agreed to retire two of the old busses in the fleet and purchase two new 77 passenger buses from Hoelund Bus Company at a total cost of $192,500. The two new diesel-powered buses replace two of the older buses, one with over 300,000 miles on it.
The public meeting ended and the members entered into a closed session to discuss the evaluation for Superintendent Pat Coen.
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The Lee County Sheriff’s Office reports a total of six arrests from Monday and the early morning hours today (Tuesday), two of the arrests on warrants.
Christina Adams
30-year-old Christina Adams of Wayland Missouri was taken into custody by the Sheriff’s Office on warrants for contempt of court for resisting a court order and voluntary absence from custody. According to the arrest records, she was arrested at 3:28 Monday afternoon and taken to the Lee County Correctional Facility where she was held on the warrants.
Adrian Elliott
18-year-old Adrian Elliott was arrested in December by the Keokuk Police Department for possession with intent to deliver and was released on probation until his trial. On January 9th the 8th Judicial District Probation Office filed a violation report with the court, resulting in a warrant being issued by Judge John M. Wright for his arrest on a $2500 bond. On January 5th Elliott was arrested for first-degree harassment and disorderly conduct by the Keokuk Police Department, which is what initiated the violation report. He was held at the Lee County Correctional Facility on the bond.
Work is underway to prepare for the demolition of the 123-year-old Tama Complex buildings in downtown Burlington.
Sherwood Adams spoke to the Burlington City Council on Monday representing developer Doug Wells. He says preliminary paperwork from the required historical preservation survey has been completed and they’ve got the go-ahead from the Iowa Economic Development Authority to begin demolition.
“We have signed a demolition agreement with G&B Construction and they have begun work,” Adams said. “They are beginning to install security cables to further control any movement within the buildings as they start to come down.”
G&B Construction is currently working on stabilizing the structure so it collapses in place when its demolished. Adams didn’t have a specific timeline for the razing would be complete, but estimated anywhere from 1-3 months depending on the weather.
City Manager Jim Ferneau went over the city’s current five-year capital improvement plan at last night’s FY20 budget work session.
He discussed all the major projects that will be happening over this coming this year including around a $1.2M project to connect the Roosevelt Avenue stoplights with fiber optic cable to make them traffic adaptive, $4.9M in sewer separation work, around $1.4M in road work, and another $1.4M to extend Broadway Street from the Recplex and the turf “sports bubble” facility to West Burlington Avenue.
Ferneau also touched on continually dropping hotel/motel and local option sales taxes. He says online shopping continues to take funding away from city projects, including one that many in Burlington have been hoping to have done for a long time.
“Last year we talked about being able to at least have a discussion about Cascade Bridge as a potential project… if the sales tax collections were where they are supposed to be that would be a much more viable discussion point right now,” Ferneau said. “We have an existing bond that has payments that have to be made…which is about the same amount of dollars that Cascade Bridge was.”
Ferneau says Cascade Bridge isn’t a high priority based on the city’s transportation network, however says many people see it as a historically significant project for the town. As of now it does not appear on the Capital Improvement Plan.
Budget hearings will continue tonight at 5:30, the library and solid waste department budgets will be presented.
Pictured: Darian Sile (DMCCC)
A Burlington man has been charged with felony theft for allegedly eating, drinking, and giving away more than $5K worth of products from a gas station he was employed at.
Authorities say 19-year-old Darian Sile has been charged with 2nd-degree theft in the case. According to court documents, a store manager at the Mt. Pleasant Street Gasland reported that she had seen Sile take food and eat it without paying, she further investigated after noticing the store was ordering more liquor than it was selling.
The manager reportedly saw Sile giving away and consuming around $5,300 worth of merchandise throughout October of last year on surveillance footage. He was fired from the store on October 29th.
Sile reportedly admitted to both consuming and giving away the merchandise during an interview with Burlington police. He made his initial appearance in court and has been released on $5K bond.
Pictured: Kimberly Lutz (DMCCC)
An argument over a messy house apparently led to a domestic altercation and a threat with a knife.
Burlington police arrested 41-year-old Kimberly Lutz on domestic assault charges early on Tuesday morning. Court records show that police were called to a residence on South 8th Street for a domestic disturbance. When they arrived they found Lutz holding a pink kitchen knife.
A man involved told police the two had been arguing when Lutz returned to the room with a knife and threatened him. The criminal complaint states that Lutz was erratic and officers couldn’t get a clear story from her. She was taken to the Des Moines County jail where she is being held on $1K bond.
