In January of 2022, it was discovered that fraudulent checks, represented to be from the Henry County Jail checking account, were being made, forged, and deposited.

Upon investigation it was found that during December of 2021 and January of 2022, multiple checks were fraudulently made, forged, and deposited into suspect accounts, with the total of fraudulent checks being over $30,000.00.

Upon further investigation, the following have been charged regarding this fraud/forgery investigation:

Messiah Johnson, 30 of Bloomington, Illinois, charged with Forgery (D felony) – three (3) counts, Conspiracy to commit Forgery (D felony), and Theft 1^st (C felony)

Darriauna Jones, 26 of Bloomington, Illinois, charged with Forgery (D felony) – two (2) counts, Conspiracy to commit Forgery (D felony), and Theft 1^st (C felony).

Further charge(s) are pending.

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind citizens that anyone can be a victim of crime and to be vigilant in overseeing their financial accounts and transactions.

Twenty-one 4-H’ers and seven Clover Kids participated in the Washington County Clothing Event on Sunday, July 10 at the Washington County Extension Office.

4-H members have the option of three categories to participate in:  $15 Challenge, Clothing Selection or Fashion Revue. In the $15 Challenge category, 4-H’ers shopped for second-hand items totaling $15 or less. This excludes accessories, undergarments and shoes.  The Clothing Selection category is purchased clothing and Fashion Revue category is a constructed outfit.

In the Senior $15 Challenge division, Taylor Garman of the 76 Progressives and Zoe Fisher of the Limecreek Limelights were chosen to represent Washington County at the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe Event in the $15 Challenge.  In the Senior Clothing Selection division, Zoe Fisher and Taylor Garman were selected for the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe event and Delaney Gerot was selected as the State Fair alternate. In the Senior Fashion Revue, Isadora Goode of the Kalona Klassics was selected for the Iowa State Fair Awardrobe event. The State Fair Awardrobe Clothing Event will be held on Thursday, August 11.

In the Intermediate $15 Challenge division, Charlotte Sieren received a purple, Ava Greiner received a lavender, and Brock Lowenberg and Paige Malichky received blues.  In the Intermediate Clothing Selection division, Ava Greiner received a purple and Adyson Gerot and Grace Conger received lavendars.

In the Junior $15 Challenge division, Morgan Bruty received a purple and Marlee Greiner, Emma Greiner, and Hayden Norman received lavendars. Receiving blues were Emma Keil, Grace Taylor, Ruby Lowenberg, Piper Malichky, Meredith Campbell, Mycala Plank, and Adlei Marek. In the Junior Clothing Selection category, Emma Greiner received a purple, Marlee Greiner and Morgan Bruty received lavendars, and Emma Keil and Hayden Norman received blues.

A Style Revue for the public will be held at the Washington County Fair on Monday, July 18 in combination with the Share the Fun Event and several Educational Presentations at the Washington Community Center with 4-H members and Clover Kids participating together.

On July 17, 2022 at a approximately 2:01 AM, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 120^th Ave north of 260^th Street in reference to an ATV accident involving 2 indviduals.  The ATV collided with a deer, and both individuals were ejected off the vehicle. The driver of the ATV died as a result of the accident, and the passenger was taken to Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries and was released.

This incident remains under investigation and additional details will be released as they become available and notification family members has occurred.

The Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Wapello Iowa Ambulance Service, the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mediapolis Fire Department.

In April/May 2022, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into the distribution of marijuana in the Henry County, Iowa area.

During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at 2587 Park Circle, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, during which marijuana and indicia of distribution were seized.

As a result of this investigation and search warrant, Monte Moehn, 25 of Mount Pleasant, was arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Deliver (class D felony), Drug Tax Stamp Violation (class D felony), Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana (class D felony), Drug Distribution Violation to Persons Under 18 (class B felony), Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (simple misdemeanor), and Gathering Where Marijuana is Used (serious misdemeanor).

Also, because of this investigation Eric Copeland, 21 of Crawfordsville, was charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana (class D felony) and Conspiracy to Deliver a Controlled Substance to a Minor (class D felony).

Edward Easley, 23 of Mount Pleasant, was arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana (class D felony).

One juvenile was arrested and charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana (class D felony).

The Henry County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Burlington Police Department, Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Henry County Engineers Office announces a road closure on 270th Street (dirt section), west of Nebraska Ave for a bridge removal project starting Monday, July 18th. The road will be closed for approximately two (2) weeks, weather permitting. Questions can be answered at 319 385-0762.