DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau/KCRG) – Some Iowa Republican lawmakers are urging land owners to contact Republican senators who have blocked legislation to protect property rights. This is in response to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. It would take carbon emissions from ethanol plants across the Midwest and store it underground in North Dakota. It would run through 29 Iowa counties. 41 Republican lawmakers are again trying to stop Summit Carbon Solutions’ pipeline. They’re calling themselves The Republican Legislative Intervenors for Justice. They want a law to stop Summit from being able to use eminent domain to force access on someone’s land for the pipeline. That includes 10 House bills they’re trying to get passed to stop the project; for example, banning eminent domain for CO2 pipelines on agricultural lands and requiring pipeline companies to provide insurance to landowners who lose coverage due to the pipeline being on their land. The Iowa House has passed varying reforms on the use of eminent domain for the past few years, but the bills have died in the Republican-led Senate. Two of the Senators at the news conference say negotiations are going on behind the scenes to try and get some legislation to the floor for a vote, but they didn’t have any specifics to share.
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird warned Monday that scammers have been impersonating the Iowa Attorney General’s office in an attempt to steal money from Iowans. Scammers are impersonating Attorney General Bird and the Iowa Attorney General’s office on social media, attempting to get individuals to send personal and financial information for a “refund” of money lost through a cryptocurrency ATM. Scammers have been reported on social media websites Facebook and Telegram. The accounts use pictures of Attorney General Bird and a seal that appears to be for the Division of Criminal Investigation. In February, Bird announced two lawsuits against crypto ATM companies after Iowans were scammed out of more than $20 million. The lawsuits are still ongoing.
AMES, Iowa (KCRG) – An Ames man was sentenced to life in prison after trafficking dozens of children and young adults. According to court documents, 45-year-old Carl Markley utilized fraud and coercion to engage in sex acts with teenage boys, young men, and young women for money or other benefits. Markley engaged in said behavior from 2001 to 2023. As a nurse practitioner and business owner, Markley was able to use his professional career and his role in the community to earn the trust of victims. After befriending victims, he would groom and sexually abuse them. Some victims were recorded being abused, as Markley was able to hide cameras in several different locations. A criminal investigation was launched in December 2022 after Ames police received a complaint that Markley was performing physicals on minors without the consent of their parents. In November 2023, Markley was charged with 15 counts of sex trafficking by fraud and coercion, one count of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of possession of child pornography. He entered pleas of guilty to the 15 counts of sex trafficking the following November. He now faces life in prison.
ELGIN, Iowa (KCRG) – An Elgin man is facing charges after law enforcement said he admitted to operating an illegal meat and poultry slaughter operation for the past 20 years in Fayette County. The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested Ethan Guyer Jr., 59, of Elgin, last week. Guyer is charged with two counts of Second Degree Theft, First Degree Fraudulent Practice, and Meat and Poultry License Violation. Criminal complaints say there were two different people who had reported to law enforcement that they had hired Guyer to slaughter steers for them, with the expectation that Guyer would later deliver the cuts of meat back to them. However, in both cases, law enforcement say the men tried multiple times to reach out to Guyer after the slaughter was complete, but never got responses. Both steers were valued more than $2,400. The sheriff’s office said Guyer admitted to having operated a meat and poultry operation for the past 20 years without a license from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In a written statement, Guyer told law enforcement his operation had made $189,560 for the slaughter and processing of 150 beef and 500 swine at 80 cents a pound. During the operation, the sheriff’s office said Guyer failed to have the meat inspected. Guyer was taken to the Fayette County Jail. He has since been released. The investigation remains ongoing. Additional charges may be filed in this case.
