DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – On Wednesday, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate unveiled an updated website ahead of the November 8th general election. The ‘Voter Ready’ educational initiative is designed to ensure all eligible Iowans are prepared for Election Day. VoterReady.Iowa.gov is a place where Iowans can register to vote, download absentee ballot request forms, track the status of their request, look up polling places, and find important dates and deadlines for the election. “I encourage all Iowans to have a plan for casting their ballot and VoterReady.Iowa.gov is the place to go to develop that plan,” Secretary Pate said. “The November 8 general election is less than six weeks away and voters are already requesting their absentee ballots. Let’s keep Iowa’s great track record of being one of the best states in the nation for voter participation.”
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The man charged with killing a child in the Clinton area has filed a motion to push his trial back. Henry Dinkins is charged with killing 10-year-old Breasia Terrell. Police found cleaning supplies and an ax with blood on it in the trunk of his car. Her remains were found in March of last year near DeWitt. In March, Dinkins filed for a change of venue, citing too much pre-trial publicity. The motion was granted and the trial was moved to Linn County. Now, Dinkins’ defense has filed a motion to push back his trial, citing the need for more time to review court documents and prep for the trial. The prosecution has filed a resistance to this motion, saying a delay would “almost certainly cause the necessity for a new prosecution team on a very complex case” and that the passing of time “may affect the ability to locate witnesses as well as their memories of the event.” If convicted, Dinkins faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a former Iowa State Patrol trooper who was captured on dash camera video hitting and knocking over a biker during a traffic stop in September 2017 has pleaded guilty to a federal count of violating the biker’s rights. Federal prosecutors said in a statement that 58-year-old Robert Smith pleaded guilty Monday to deprivation of rights under color of law. As part of his plea, Smith admitted that his intentional open-hand strike was an unreasonable use of force against Bryce Yakish. Prosecutors say Yakish was standing by his bike with his hands up when Smith struck him, knocked him to the ground, put a knee on his neck and handcuffed him. Smith will be sentenced at a later date.
OXFORD JUNCTION, Iowa (KCRG) – A 48-year-old Oxford Junction woman was sentenced to 18 months in prison for tax evasion after an investigation by the IRS. According to court documents, Penny Lane Witt operated businesses under the names of Ultimate Tree Service and Spruces Tree Service. In 2016 and 2017, an individual paid for multiple remodeling landscaping projects. Witt did not keep business records, did not have a business or individual bank account, and conducted all business and payroll expenses in cash. In the two-year span, Witt would take checks from the individual, cash them at the customer’s bank, and not deposit them in a bank account, concealing any usual record of the gross income she received. Witt received approximately $469,000 in payments. Witt reportedly admitted that she knew her legal duty to file tax returns for these years, and willfully chose not to file. On top of the prison sentence, Witt was order to serve three years on supervised release and pay $75,849 to the IRS.
