CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (Iowa’s News Now) — Cedar Falls Fire Chief John Bostwick was “placed on leave” on October 19. Amanda Huisman, the city’s spokesperson, told media outlets, “As this is a confidential personnel matter, we cannot release any additional information per city policy,” and “there is no vacancy at the chief position, so an appointment of an acting chief has not occurred.” Bostwick has been chief since 2016 and with the department since 1980.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An 18-year-old sex trafficking victim who killed her rapist was being held in an Iowa jail and could face a prison term after she walked away from a Des Moines women’s shelter where she was serving probation for a manslaughter conviction. Polk County Sheriff Lt. Ryan Evans says Pieper Lewis was booked into the Polk County Jail in Des Moines on Tuesday. An arrest warrant was issued after she cut off her court-ordered GPS monitor and walked out a women’s center Friday in Des Moines. A corrections department spokesman says she was found in Des Moines but details were not immediately released. She will be taken before a judge for a probation revocation hearing. If her probation is revoked she could be sentenced to prison.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Iowa’s News Now) — Sen. Charles Grassley released internal FBI documents relating to the sexual misconduct allegations brought by a whistleblower last month. Sen. Grassley sent out a press release Wednesday that the records have been released, in which he also requested an immediate review of the Justice Dept. and FBI’s handling of sexual misconduct claims by sending a letter to the Just Dept. inspector general. Concerns were first brought up by Sen. Grassley in Oct. and the FBI said they would reply directly to the senator’s probe, but never did, which prompted Sen. Grassley to take further action. The documents released show at least 665 employees left the FBI to avoid any backlash that may have come from sexual misconduct allegations between 2004-2020, and also alluded to higher-up FBI employees getting lesser consequences than lower-ranking employees.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — OB GYN Associates in Iowa City and Coralville filed for bankruptcy after their malpractice insurance failed to pay $12 million dollars on $75+ million judgment. In March, Andrew and Kathleen Kromphardt of Iowa City sued Mercy Hospital in Iowa City and OB GYN Associates after their baby suffered brain damage during birth back in 2018. A jury awarded the Kromphardt’s $97.4 million in damages in March and after post-trial motions the court ordered the clinic to pay $75.6 million and for their insurance company MMIC to pay the $12 million on the policy. The Kromphardts have yet to be paid anything from OB GYN Associates or their insurance company. Last month, the Kromphardts filed an execution of judgment to order payment but Johnson and Polk county officials were unsuccessful in their attempts to secure those funds. Now OB GYN Associates has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, which will allow the clinic to remain in business while it seeks to reorganize.
