The Fairfield Police Department and the law enforcement community within Jefferson County have been made aware of recent videos circulating online which appear to depict local adults attempting to meet what they believed to be children they had met online. These meetings appear to be the result of a private citizen or citizens establishing social media accounts of minors, then confronting the adult men (each individual depicted thus far has been male) who propositioned the minors to meet in person. Such activity is generally referred to as “catfishing” or “pedo-baiting.”

The videos are disturbing, and depict a shocking and unfortunate reality that children are often targeted for sexual abuse by adults online. The efforts of the individual creating these videos are commendable, and after meeting with members of law enforcement, the evidence and records generated by this individual have been turned over to law enforcement for further investigation. Frankly, the efforts of this individual are notable and commendable.

However, standard procedures from child exploitation investigation agencies generally prohibit the use of “vigilante” investigations or “stings” in furtherance of criminal investigations, for a number of reasons. Principally,  these investigations generally adhere to specific rules relating to evidentiary integrity and chain of custody, as well as procedural limitations on what can and cannot be said when an investigator poses as a minor online when investigating sexual exploitation. Furthermore, there are grave and serious safety concerns generated when confronting an adult who may have just been caught seeking to exploit a minor for sex. When law enforcement conducts these operations, it is in a controlled environment involving numerous trained and armed agents which limit the dangers present in a sting. Additionally, and ideally, the individual is arrested if the grounds exist. This further limits the danger posed that the target might harm themselves or others following the confrontation, which is a very real possibility in cases such as these. Because of these reasons, vigilante investigations are not condoned or encouraged in any way by law enforcement.

The Fairfield Police Department and additional agencies are actively investigating the records received relating to these videos, and will determine whether criminal charges are appropriate based on the information provided.

This incident stands as a good reminder to parents that children can and often are the subject of sexual attention by adults encountered online, and a conversation regarding safe online behavior is a good idea, as there are predators lurking online, but not far away, that wish to do harm to children.

This incident also means local agencies will be enhancing efforts at online enforcement operations to further discourage this type of behavior.

*Note from the Fairfield Police Department – “Stings conducted in this way are not condoned by law enforcement and vigilante acts such as these often cannot be used for further prosecution, and create serious safety concerns for the people involved.”

The Henry County Supervisors met on Thursday morning in a public meeting in which many members of the public joined. First on the agenda was a monthly department head meeting, which was then followed by a discussion over the Wind Energy Ordinance.

The supervisors agreed that they would like to see changes to the ordinance. It must be noted that these changes are by no means final. Board Chair Moeller mentioned how they are listening to the citizens, and they know their concerns.

It was spelled out that if the ordinance is approved by the Henry County Supervisors, this allows a company to build a wind farm if they receive the permits. For the supervisors to approve this, the law states that they must have at least one public hearing and 3 readings of the ordinance. To receive the permits, they must comply with the ordinance. Again, this ordinance is not final, it is currently a work in progress.

Board Chair Moeller mentioned that after speaking with the County Attorney’s Office, they are going to slow this process down. They are going to go over this with a fine-tooth comb and mull over all of the emails, texts, calls, messages, etc. Planning and Zoning Director, Joe Buffington is going to look over all of this and send the letters to the P&Z for them to investigate.

A citizen suggested that the supervisors and the planning and zoning need to look at the ordinance as a whole, rather than just a specific portion. A supervisor agreed with this, and it sounds as if the supervisors will take this advice.

When asked how penalties are enforced if a company does not comply with the ordinance, Joe Buffington answered. He said that it is situation dependent. As the Planning and Zoning Director, he would speak with the party to tell them their faults and give them a deadline to fix them. If they were not fixed, the County Attorney’s Office would get involved.

The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for next Tuesday, March 12^th, has been postponed at this moment after a recommendation from the County Attorney’s Office. Once details are known for the next meeting, it will be posted.

Keokuk High School students had the opportunity to explore a multitude of career paths at the KHS Career Expo on March 6. About 100 speakers and recruiters offered a diverse range of career options and connected the students to professionals from various industries.

“It has been enlightening and given me so many options to think about,” Zach Atterberg, KHS Sophomore, said. “I liked the trades one the most.”

Each student chose seven topic sessions out of the 25 available options to participate in a small group and interacted closely with professionals. The options included law, agriculture and conservation, animal care, art, automotive, criminal justice, manufacturing, event planning, finance, design, healthcare, media, technology, utilities/infrastructure, trucking, trades, and many more. Some of the speakers provided hands-on opportunities such as exploring an ambulance, fire truck and they were able to use virtual reality to explore several fields, including trucking and more.

“It was a good opportunity for all of us, especially students who didn’t know what they wanted to do,” Kendra Boatman, sophomore, said. “Also all of us could see the different job opportunities that are especially in our area. The Food & Drink session was my favorite.”

Speakers were from several regional companies, municipalities, and nonprofits, and included the Iowa Judicial Branch, Liberty Utilities, Lee County Conservation, Roquette America, Freeze Dried U.S.A., WGEM, Keokuk Veterinary Hospital, JJ Nichting Company, Joy Painting Restoration, Klingner & Associates, Iowa State Penitentiary, Keokuk Municipal Waterworks, Winegard Company, Climax Molybdenum Co., Quincy Medical Group, Edward Jones, Connection Bank, Lee County Emergency Medical Services, Hoerner YMCA, RePete Candle & Coffee Bar, Blue Umbrella Bakery, Lee County Health Department, Heartland Pathways Counseling, Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center, Yuppy Puppy Pet Parlor, Elston Auto Repair, The Hidden Tower, 1884 On the Bluff, Henniges Automotive, Keokuk Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Department, Keokuk Fire Department, AirEvac, and more.

“I think it was a huge success, the kids were excited to talk to the different professionals and showed an interest in several areas,” Jen Roederer, KHS Vice Principal, said. “They started talking about professions that would like to go into and colleges that they would like to attend.”