DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Doctors who specialize in the care of children say in court documents submitted in a federal court case that the rise of the delta variant and beginning of the school year have dramatically increased the risks children face during the coronavirus pandemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics and its Iowa chapter submitted a brief on Tuesday with the federal court judge who is considering a lawsuit seeking to strike down a state law that prohibits school boards from imposing mask mandates in schools. The AAP says cases of pediatric COVID-19 have skyrocketed since the school year began. The group says it’s clear that universal mask policies in schools significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19.
ELDRIDGE, Iowa (AP) — A former eastern Iowa police officer has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl while he was on duty. The Quad-City Times reports that 24-year-old Andrew Patrick Denoyer was arrested Tuesday night by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. His arrest came a day after he resigned from his job as an Eldridge police officer in the wake of the investigation that began last week. Authorities say the assault happened May 1 while Denoyer was on duty. Police have charged him with third-degree sexual abuse. He was booked Tuesday night into the Scott County Jail to be held in lieu of a $10,000 cash-only bond.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The City of Des Moines is confirming the longtime president of the Des Moines police officers’ union sent explicit photos to four female colleagues but retired before he could face disciplinary action. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, four Des Moines Police Department employees alleged that they were sent unsolicited photos by Des Moines Police Bargaining Unit Association President Stew Barnes in 2019 and 2020, including many of himself naked. A statement from the city says that Barnes admitted he sent inappropriate photos and retired from employment last year. The city says that it “immediately and thoroughly investigated the allegations” but claimed that it could not take any steps to deny Barnes his retirement benefits.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man charged in the 2018 stabbing death of another man who was found buried at a Cedar Rapids home has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. KCRG reports that Paul Hoff pleaded guilty Tuesday to obstructing prosecution for his role in the death of Chris Bagley and faces up to two years in prison when he’s sentenced. Prosecutors say a felony charge of a abuse of a corpse was dropped in exchange for his testimony against Drew Blahnik, who was found guilty earlier this year of second-degree murder and other counts in Bagley’s death. Bagley went missing after leaving his home in December 2018. His body was found buried at a home in southeast Cedar Rapids more than two months later.
BUFFALO, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a man killed last week in a house fire in the eastern Iowa city of Buffalo. The Buffalo Police Department reported Tuesday that 63-year-old Bernard Gerischer died in the Friday afternoon fire. Police say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, and no other information was released. Firefighters were called to the home around 2 p.m. Friday and found the house fully engulfed in flames. Authorities say first responders tried to get into the home, but the intensity of the flames kept them from entering. Crews worked for more than two hours to extinguish the fire. Officials said another person was treated for minor injuries from the fire.
PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Supreme Court won’t immediately reinstate a series of new laws that include measures that block schools from requiring masks and remove the power of local governments to impose COVID-19 requirements. The high court on Wednesday turned down Republican Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s request to stay a lower court ruling. That decision blocked provisions in three state budget bills and an entire budget law from taking effect just after midnight. The decision means schools can continue requiring face masks without facing legal jeopardy. Nearly 30 school districts had mask mandates and some are extending them because Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper struck down the new law.
