People in Iowa may have heard about a strange situation that unfolded in an Iowa City emergency room earlier this month. A woman who was receiving treatment for a seizure apparently became angered and decided to leave. However, she was hooked up to an IV and had a needle in her arm. Instead of waiting for a nurse to remove the IV, she allegedly ripped out the IV herself, causing blood to shoot out of the woman's arm. The nurse, who was standing nearby, was apparently sprayed with the patient's blood.
Hospital patient accused of assault
Law enforcement cracks down on internet fraud
People in Iowa and across the world know that the internet is the new frontier of business and commerce, and as the level of internet usage for financial transactions and communication continues to increase, the amount of fraudulent activity on the internet is increasing, as well. According to a 2013 report issued by the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, there were over 250,000 complaints of internet crime in the last year, totaling roughly $780 million in financial losses.
Penalties for drug crimes may be enhanced based on location
Residents in Iowa know that it's a crime to possess illegal drugs, but they may not be aware that simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the crime of drug possession becomes that much worse in the eyes of the law.
Drug convictions don't always end in a prison sentence
Iowa residents who have been arrested for a drug offense know that this can be an incredibly stressful ordeal. Illegal substances, even those such as marijuana, which are legal in other states, carry serious penalties. Even prescription drugs, which can be legally possessed and taken with a valid prescription, become illegal contraband in the hands of a person who acquires them without a prescription.
Criminal defense: Iowa "ag-gag" laws
People in Iowa know that agricultural production has been one of the most important staples of the state's economy for many decades, and this continues to be true today. For that reason, Iowa lawmakers have sometimes afforded Iowa farmers, ranchers, processors and other food-producing entities special privileges that other people simply do not get. While most people may not have a problem with granting agricultural producers tax breaks and financial incentives, many constitutional scholars and defense attorneys say that lawmakers have gone too far in passing laws that criminalize recording video or audio footage at such agricultural facilities.
