Governor Reynolds Appoints New Commander For Iowa National Guard
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The governor has selected a new commander for the Iowa National Guard.
The office of Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a news release Tuesday that Maj. Gen. Benjamin Corell (kor-REHL’) is the new adjutant general. He replaces Brig. Gen. Stephen Osborn, who’d held the post temporarily following the retirement of Maj. Gen. Tim Orr. Osborn will continue serving Iowa as deputy adjutant general.
Corell was born in Manchester and raised in Strawberry Point. He
enlisted in the Iowa Army National Guard in January 1986.
Most recently Corell commanded the 34th Infantry Division. The
assignment included a nearly yearlong deployment to Kuwait.
Corell commanded the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division from June 2010 to June 2012 and deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Man Accused Of Operating Organic Food Scheme Has Committed Suicide
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A coroner says a Missouri man blamed for running the largest organic food fraud scheme in U.S. history has died by suicide, days after he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Livingston County Coroner Scott Lindley on Tuesday confirmed the death of Randy Constant in Chillicothe, Missouri. He said Constant died from “a self-inflicted situation” and said more details would be released soon.
A federal judge sentenced Constant to 122 months in prison at a
hearing on Friday for leading what prosecutors dubbed the “field of schemes fraud.” Constant was planning to report to prison in coming weeks after the Bureau of Prisons decided where to place him.
Prosecutors say that Constant falsely marketed non-organic corn and soybeans certified organic on a massive scale from 2010 to 2017.
Man Charged With Killing Woman From Homemade Cannon Pleads Guilty
MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) – A man charged in the death of a woman hit in northeast Iowa by fragments from a homemade cannon has pleaded guilty.
Delaware County District Court records say 31-year-old Max Fenton entered the written plea Friday to aggravated misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter. Court records say that if the judge accepts the plea at a hearing scheduled for Oct. 29, Fenton will be sentenced that day.
The improvised cannon was made from the sawed-off barrel of a .50-caliber black powder rifle and was supposed to serve as a noisemaker.
Authorities say the rear of the barrel “blew out” in Greeley the night of July 2, 2016, sending fragments toward where 55-year-old Lori Heims was sitting, hitting her in the head. She died later at a hospital.
Man Sentenced For Second Degree Murder of Des Moines Man
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A man has been convicted of second-degree murder for the shooting death of a Des Moines resident.
Polk County District Court records say a jury found 47-year-old
William Burton III guilty last week. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 2.
Authorities say Burton shot 39-year-old Cory Channon on Jan. 9 last year at Channon’s home. Burton and Crystal Purdy had gone there to confront Channon about a gun Burton thought Channon had stolen from him.
Purdy pleaded guilty last September to burglary and conspiracy and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Cemetery Vandalism Continues
LEON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say that for the second time in four days, an Iowa cemetery has been the target of vandalism.
The Des Moines Register reports that the last case happened at a
cemetery in Leon, a town of fewer than 2,000 people about 70 miles (112.65 kilometers) south of Des Moines.
A post on the city’s Facebook page Monday showed gravestones toppled and damaged in Leon Cemetery, as well as damage to structures and statues at an adjacent veterans’ memorial.
Last week, police in the eastern Iowa city of Manchester reported
that nearly 30 gravestones were damaged in the city’s Oakland Cemetery.
Police in both cities are asking the public to report any
information on the vandalism.
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