Free Republic

A 26-year-old former Iowa youth pastor was arrested Monday on allegations he sexually assaulted at least one student and gave alcohol to high schoolers, court documents show. Caleb Daniel Toney was booked into the Polk County Jail on several misdemeanor charges, including assault with intent to commit sexual abuse and giving alcohol to an underage person, his inmate record shows. Court and jail records show he bonded out of jail Tuesday evening. The charges stem from several incidents across Story and Polk counties, the criminal complaints indicate. First, Ames police accuse Toney in a criminal complaint of getting a 15-year-old...

After refusing to rule out a potential 2020 primary challenge to President Donald Trump, “Never Trump” Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) spoke to about 200 Republicans in Story County, Iowa on Friday evening. Sasse’s excuse was that he was in Iowa because he lost a college football bet and his kids were participating in a triathlon this weekend in the state.. In an interview before his Iowa trip, the insufferable and sanctimonious Sasse would not rule out a potential 2020 presidential run. When CNN asked about his potential presidential ambitions on Sunday, Sasse punted in a way that would have made...

There was an outcry at the statehouse Wednesday from county sheriffs objecting to a bill they say would make it harder for them to deny permits to carry concealed weapons. The bill changes Iowa law to say the sheriff shall issue a permit except for a limited list of reasons, including felony convictions and drug addiction. If a permit's denied a written explanation would be required. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, says there needs to be more consistency statewide in issuing the permits. Dubuque county Sheriff Kenneth Runde said that won't work. He said if he knows someone...