Judge Says Defense Attorney’s Decision Was Not Wrong
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge says that a defense lawyer’s decision to reveal the location of a murdered child’s body was a risky strategy but not an erroneous one.
U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett rejected a new trial Friday for Donald Boss, who was convicted in 2002 of killing his 10-year-old son and burying his body beneath the family’s home in Remsen.
Boss was charged with murder after the boy went missing. During a bond hearing, his attorney stunned prosecutors by handing them a signed statement revealing where the body was located.
The attorney had advised Boss to disclose the location to try to gain favor with prosecutors and the public.
Bennett says the strategy was “extremely dangerous, like walking a tightrope over the Grand Canyon,” but wasn’t unreasonable given the circumstances.
Few Senators Return To Extended Session
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Little action was evident in the Iowa Senate on the first day after daily payments ended for lawmakers.
The state Senate officially met for two minutes on Monday. Not all senators reported to the Capitol in Des Moines. Those in attendance are mostly in leadership roles or on special negotiating committees.
Lawmakers are still trying to find resolution on major policy issues such as education, property taxes, health care and the overall budget plan.
Friday was the last day for lawmakers to receive expense payments. Two years ago, the session lasted until June 30, in part due to conflict over whether Iowa Medicaid funds could be used for
some abortions.
Des Moines Police Investigate Stolen Items From City
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police are investigating a robbery at a public works building that involved use of the department’s own tractors to haul away supplies.
The Des Moines Police Department says the suspect or suspects took items from the building sometime between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.
The Des Moines Register (https://dmreg.co/15rq24w ) reports officers found candy and pop machines with their locks forced open. An unknown amount of tools were taken from a room that had its door hinges removed. Employee lockers also were broken into.
Police say the suspect or suspects rammed a front loader truck belonging to the department into the facility’s north side fence. It was found stuck in the mud nearby. Another utility vehicle was
used and abandoned across a field.
There are no reported arrests.
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Court Official Pleads Guilty To Forging False Documents Involving Gay Marriage License
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former Iowa court official has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor forgery for filing false documents to issue an invalid marriage license to a same-sex couple from Florida.
Former Grundy County deputy clerk Brigitte Van Nice received a suspended sentence and probation after entering the guilty plea Monday.
Van Nice was arrested and suspended from her job in October after investigators said she issued a marriage license to two Florida men who had never set foot in Iowa.
The men discovered they had never legally been married when they went to get a divorce.
To get their license, Van Nice falsely claimed she had officiated the couple’s Valentine’s Day wedding in Iowa last year and faked the signatures of two people who she claimed were witnesses. The couple paid her $150.
