MARION, Iowa (KCRG) – A former volunteer law enforcement officer with the Linn County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested on federal child pornography charges. Officials said the FBI took Linn County Special Deputy Sheriff Gordon Grabau, 51, into custody on June 30 following a criminal investigation that started last year. The FBI conducted a search warrant at Grabau’s Marion home on July 1, 2021. That’s when Grabau was informed he was under investigation. Linn County Sheriff’s Brian Gardner placed Grabau on administrative leave once the search warrant was served. All of Grabau’s department-issued equipment, including his official identification, badges, weapons and uniforms, were taken from him. In a press release, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office explained that Special Deputy Sheriffs are volunteer law enforcement officers that are paid one dollar a year to qualify them as employees for the county’s worker’s compensation benefits. Grabau submitted his resignation letter on July 17, 2021. He had served in the role since 2000. Grabau is facing charges of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. Sheriff Gardner said he has provided paperwork to the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy to ensure Grabau is not employed elsewhere as a law enforcement officer in the future. Grabau is being held in the Linn County Correctional Center.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Five airports in Iowa are expected to receive funding from the new infrastructure law for projects that will upgrade or modernize them. The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, the Dubuque Regional Airport and the Washington Municipal Airport are among them. In total, $1 billion will go to 85 airports across the country using funding from last year’s infrastructure law. In Cedar Rapids, the Eastern Iowa Airport will receive $20,415,727 to expand the passenger terminal to add four additional gates. The Dubuque Regional Airport will receive $1,346,112 to install a solar power system along with associated electrical efficiency enhancements for the commercial passenger terminal. The Washington Municipal Airport will receive $129, 675 to also install a solar power system with associated electrical efficiency enhancements for its general aviation terminal. In Des Moines, the Des Moines International Airport will receive $5 million for grading the gate apron area as part of phase one of four for the new terminal project. In Council Bluffs, the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport will receive $112,500 to install an elevator in the general aviation terminal to provide ADA compliant access to the second floor.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – On Wednesday, the Cedar Rapids School Board held a work session to discuss the future of its School Resource Program. This comes as the board considers signing a contract with the police department for seven SROs. The board spoke about how they want to define the SRO program to keep students and staff safe while they’re inside the schools. While looking at the program, they said they wanted to make sure they were hearing more community members’ voices. Board members pointed out that the “Black Student Union” told them they didn’t feel the board was listening to them. They wanted to make sure the two roaming middle school officers were also not predominantly in one of the middle schools; an issue they said was happening frequently before. They also wanted to add “engagement specialists”, people who would be on-hand to de-escalate situations. Two board members stressed that their final decision on SROs won’t end the discussion of how they were used in the district.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa State Patrol said it performed more than 4,000 traffic stops over the holiday weekend. In a Facebook post, State Patrol said the effort was part of Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort), a national program that aims to reduce traffic accidents. State Patrol said there were more than 2,100 speeding violations on Iowa roads, and 23 drivers were caught driving under the influence. There were a total of 36 crashes, five of which were fatal. State patrol also made 33 felony arrests on Iowa roads.
