The Democrat leader in the Iowa House says he will leave that position after three legislative sessions. Rep. Todd Prichard of Charles City says he decided to step aside after conversations with his family. House Democrats will choose their next leader June 14. Prichard is a small business owner, attorney and lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves. He was elected to his fifth term in the Iowa House last year and will serve out his term. House Democrats were disappointed in the November 2020 election when they lost six seats, falling from 47 seats to 41. Democrats had hoped to gain a majority in the chamber but instead saw Republicans increase their majority from 53 to 59 seats.
The former CEO of Make-A-Wish Iowa has entered a plea of guilty to charges of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the charity that supports sick children and their families. Jennifer Woodley admitted in a written guilty plea last week that she made unauthorized charges on a foundation credit card, gave herself unapproved bonus and salary increases and made false entries in foundation records. The 40-year-old admitted to two counts of first-degree theft and one count of fraudulent practices. Under a plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a sentence of five years of probation, along with fines and restitution. A charging document stated that Woodley’s embezzlement totaled nearly $41,000, but the amount of restitution has not yet been finalized.
Iowa’s state auditor has flagged concerns following an audit of the state’s sex offender civil commitment unit that showed a worker made more than $50,000 in illicit payments to her husband. State Auditor Rob Sand said in a news release Wednesday that an administrative assistant made unauthorized adjustments to the unit’s payroll system to pay her husband more than $52,600 in wages and nearly $9,000 in payroll benefits for time he did not work from August 2019 through February of this year. The report says the administrative assistant’s husband had previously worked for the facility. The assistant also no longer works at the facility. No criminal charges had been filed by Wednesday morning, but the auditor’s report has been sent to prosecutors.
A correctional officer at the Anamosa State Penitentiary was assaulted yesterday morning, according to the Iowa Department of Corrections. Officials say an inmate, who was secured in restraints and being supervised by an officer, became upset during a virtual disciplinary hearing shortly after 9 a.m. When the inmate began acting out, the officer tried to restrain the inmate, who then became violent. A backup officer arrived but during the restraint process, the backup officer’s arm was injured. The injured officer was taken to the hospital where it was determined he had soft tissue damage to his arm. The initial officer was evaluated and did not have any injuries, nor did the inmate. The incident is still under investigation.
Plant workers at two JBS Pork locations in Iowa experienced shift disruptions yesterday because of a ransomware attack. Company officials said most meat production around the world had resumed yesterday after the computer attack over the weekend. The Brazil-based company is considered the world’s largest meat processing company and received a ransom demand from REvil, which is believed to operate in Russia. JBS workers in Ottumwa went back on a limited basis yesterday, while Marshalltown will resume full operations today.
A former Marion resident has been arrested in Florida on four Iowa charges. 49-year-old Jason Lee Daniels was arrested in Port St. Lucie, Florida, on three counts of second-degree sexual abuse and possession of a firearm by a domestic abuse offender. Daniels was wanted after Marion Police learned he left the state in March. Daniels will be brought back to Iowa to face those charges.
The Iowa State Patrol said two people died in separate accidents in Marshall County Tuesday night. The first was a motorcycle accident that killed 72-year-old Terry Stubbs of Marshalltown. It happened in the westbound lane of U.S. Highway 30, east of Marshalltown at around 5:30 p.m. Officials said Stubbs passed several vehicles and moved back into the right lane. That’s when he drove onto the gravel shoulder and crashed. He later died at a hospital. The second incident killed a 59-year-old man from Marshalltown at around 8:15 p.m. John Saint Clair crashed his pickup truck while taking a curve on Luray Road near Marshalltown. The Iowa State Patrol said he was wearing a seatbelt, but he died in the accident.
