Iowa

Go Iowa Awesome – Ben Kueter To Focus on Wrestling at Iowa For Next 10 Months

Published

2 years ago

June 4, 2024

Go Iowa Awesome – Ben Kueter To Focus on Wrestling at Iowa For Next 10 Months

Ben Kueter, a star local athlete in multiple sports at Iowa City West, was a major get when he committed to Iowa. A four-star football recruit and one of the top prospects in the state, Kueter was an even more elite wrestling prospect, where he was one of the top recruits in the entire nation. (Kueter was also a standout baseball player and track athlete as a prep.) He came to Iowa with ambitious plans: to play football for Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa football team and wrestle for Tom Brands and the Hawkeye wrestling team.

As of today, though, Kueter’s attention will be on just one sport, as he announced plans to focus on wrestling for the next 10 months.

This decision comes on the heels of a very successful weekend for Kueter in wrestling, as he claimed a U20 national championship at the U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio. Kueter went 5-0 in the 125 kg division to claim a freestyle national championship — and a spot on the United State team that will compete at the U20 World Championships in Spain this fall.

Kueter’s performance began with a 3-0 showing in the challenge tournament, as he recorded a 10-0 technical fall win over Duke’s Connor Barket, before picking up an 8-7 win over Oregon State’s Aden Attao and an 11-2 win over Michigan commit Nicholas Sahakian. In the best-of-3 finals, Kueter beat Virginia Tech athlete Jimmy Mullen (himself a two-sport athlete in football and wrestling with the Hokies) in two straight matches, 5-4 and 5-3.

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The Calendar Crunch

Qualifying for the U20 World Championship was a tremendous accomplishment for Kueter — but it also introduced a new complication to his plans to compete in football and wrestling at Iowa. The U20 World Championships are set to take place in Spain from September 2-8 this year. Those dates overlap with one Iowa football game (9/7 against Iowa State) and come just a few days after another (the 8/31 season opener against Illinois State).

Not only would Kueter miss both of those football games, but his ability to take part in Iowa football’s fall training camp in August would also be compromised by the need to train for wrestling and prepare for the U20 World Championships. Kueter’s goal at Iowa has been to balance both football and wrestling, but that only works if the schedules aren’t in conflict with one another; when they are, then a choice has to be made.

This time, Kueter’s choice is wrestling. As he said in his announcement, he wants to focus on wrestling for the next 10 months “in order to win a World title, NCAA title, and a NCAA team title.” The World title opportunity will come a the U20 World Championships, while the NCAA title — and NCAA team title — chances will come in Philadelphia next March.

Still, Kueter also emphasized that he isn’t shutting the door on football, either. “This is not the end of my football career,” he said. “I will start back up in spring ball [in 2025].”

The Wrestling Impact

This is a decision that does seem to make the most sense for Kueter this season — for wrestling and for football. The chance to win an age-level world championship is obviously a tremendous opportunity and it’s sensible for Kueter to maximize his chance to win that title.

Focusing exclusively on wrestling for the next 10 months should also put him in the best position to succeed in a black and gold singlet this winter, too. Kueter joined the wrestling team after the football season last year and went 3-1 in very limited action while preserving his redshirt. Kueter’s lone loss was a 9-1 major decision defeat against eventual national champion Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State.

Getting a full training camp ahead of the 2024-25 college wrestling season and being able to compete with the Hawkeyes on the mat for the entire season will give him a much better chance to excel on the mat at the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments next winter. It will also provide an excellent opportunity to assess where Kueter stands with the other top college heavyweights.

The Football Impact

Not competing in football in 2024 also makes a fair bit of sense for Kueter, particularly given the logjam on the depth chart. Iowa returns all three starting linebackers from last year — Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Kyler Fisher. The next men in on the depth chart — Jaden Harrell, Jaxon Rexroth, and Karson Sharar — are all players with multiple years in the program as well. Earning playing time at linebacker this fall looked like a very difficult proposition for Kueter.

Next spring is guaranteed to be a time of transition at linebacker for Iowa’s defense — Higgins, Jackson, and Fisher will have exhausted their eligibility, so there will be a need for new faces in the linebacker unit. The competition for playing time will still be fierce — Harrell, Rexroth, and Sharar could all be back, and Kueter will also need to compete against the trio of notable LB prospects in Iowa’s incoming freshmen class (Cam Buffington, Preston Ries, and Derek Weisskopf) — but there should be greater opportunities for playing time with Higgins, Jackson, and Fisher gone.

That said, the long-term picture for Kueter’s ability to do both football and wrestling at Iowa is still unclear. The U20 World Championships won’t overlap with future football seasons, but the ability to balance both football and wrestling — and try to be elite at both — will still be very difficult. But that’s also a problem to sort out in the future, for the next 10 months, Ben Kueter is all in on wrestling at Iowa, which is an exciting development for Kueter and the Iowa wrestling team.

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Iowa

Iowa Great Lakes businessman Butch Parks dies at 81

Published

2 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Iowa Great Lakes businessman Butch Parks dies at 81

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (KTIV) – The Iowa Great Lakes community is remembering Leo “Butch” Parks, a longtime lakes-area businessman and founder of Parks Marina.

He died Tuesday, Jan. 6, at the age of 81.

Parks established the marina on East Lake Okoboji in 1983, growing it from a small fishing boat operation into a business with marinas, sales, service, rentals, storage, and popular destinations like the Barefoot Bar.

Parks and his wife, Debbie, also owned Okoboji Boat Works for 23 years.

Funeral services are set for Friday, Jan. 16, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake. It will be followed by a celebration of life at Snapper’s restaurant in Okoboji that evening.

Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.

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Iowa

Iowa woman accused of pandering for prostitution and harassment after incidents at Casey’s and a daycare

Published

12 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Iowa woman accused of pandering for prostitution and harassment after incidents at Casey’s and a daycare

AURELIA, Iowa (KTIV) – A Northwest Iowa woman is facing charges of harassment and pandering for prostitution after two incidents took place in December 2025.

Forty-seven-year-old Kristal Miller of Odebolt was taken into custody on an arrest warrant and faces three charges: one count of pandering for prostitution and two counts of first-degree harassment, according to court documents.

Kristal Miller(Cherokee County Jail)

The charges stem from two separate incidents that took place on Thursday, Dec. 18. 2025.

According to court documents, at 6:15 a.m., Miller reportedly went to the Casey’s General Store, located at 100 Pearl St. in Aurelia. Documents state Miller approached an employee and customers, requesting money from them.

Authorities state Miller claimed she was wanted by the FBI and told people, if anyone called the police, “she would kill them.”

During this encounter, she also allegedly asked an employee to remove the string from her hooded sweatshirt. Documents state when the employee refused this request, she threatened to strangle them.

That same day at 7 a.m., Miller reportedly approached a female employee outside an Aurelia daycare and asked them for money.

Court documents stated Miller suggested the unnamed employee leave her boyfriend. Miller reportedly told the employee, if she did, then she and Miller would both be paid.

Authorities say when she was told no by the employee, Miller became upset and started yelling at them.

Miller also allegedly threatened to “steal her car” and ”take her away to her guys to start a new life.”

She was booked into the Cherokee County Jail on a cash-only bond of $5,000. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled in Cherokee for Friday, Jan. 9, at 10 a.m.

Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.

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Iowa

Iowa law on police appeals ‘constitutionally vacuous,’ prosecutor says

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Iowa law on police appeals ‘constitutionally vacuous,’ prosecutor says

The Iowa Supreme Court is reviewing a 2024 law that allows law enforcement officers to appeal their placement on a Brady-Giglio list.
A dispute between Jefferson County’s attorney and sheriff led to the sheriff being placed on the list, which identifies officers with credibility issues.
The county attorney argues the law is unconstitutional because it lets judges interfere with a prosecutor’s duty to disclose evidence to defendants.

A feud between two Jefferson County officials has landed before the Iowa Supreme Court, which must decide if a 2024 addition to Iowa’s Rights of Peace Officers law is unconstitutional.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding is asking the state’s high court to overturn what he calls the “constitutionally vacuous” law, which allows officers to petition the courts to be removed from their county’s Brady-Giglio list.

Named for two U.S. Supreme Court decisions, the lists compiled by prosecutors identify law enforcement officers and others whose credibility is in question, and it can provide grounds for questioning their testimony in court.

After a dispute over a case involving a sheriff’s deputy’s use of force, Moulding in 2024 notified Jefferson County Sheriff Bart Richmond he was placing him on the Brady-Giglio list. Richmond petitioned a court to reverse Moulding’s decision, and a district judge did, finding Richmond’s actions in connection with the case, while unprofessional, did not bring his honesty or credibility into question.

In his appeal, Moulding argues that’s not up to the court to decide, and that the law lets judges improperly intrude on prosecutors’ professional judgment and, ultimately, defendants’ rights.

“The practical real application of (the 2024 law) is to create a Kafkaesque scenario where a criminal defendant could face the prospect of criminal charges involving a State witness who is so lacking in credibility that the State’s attorney has qualms about even calling him to testify, but is prevented from disclosure,” Moulding wrote. “Such a situation is unconscionable, and underlines the constitutional vacuousness of the statute itself.”

The court has not yet scheduled arguments for the case, which could have impacts far beyond Jefferson County. Attorney Charles Gribble, representing Richmond, said this is just one of three Iowa Brady-Giglio appeals he personally is involved in.

What is a Brady-Giglio list?

Under the Fifth Amendment, criminal defendants are entitled to due process of law. In Brady v. Maryland in 1963 and in subsequent cases the U.S. Supreme Court held that due process requires a prosecutor to disclose any known exculpatory evidence to the defense. That includes anything giving rise to doubts about the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses, including law enforcement officers.

In 2022, Iowa formalized that process by mandating prosecuting agencies maintain a Brady-Giglio list of officers whose credibility can be questioned due to past dishonesty or other misconduct. The law requires agencies to notify officers when they are being put on a list and allows them to seek reconsideration.

Being placed on a list can damage or destroy an officer’s career, as prosecutors generally will decline to call them as witnesses or to bring charges that would depend on their testimony.

2024 law gives courts a role in Brady-Giglio lists

Iowa’s 2024 law went beyond requiring officers be notified of their placement on a Brady-Giglio list by giving them the right to appeal to a district court if their prosecuting agency refuses to take them off a list. The law requires judges to confidentially review evidence and allows them to affirm, modify or reverse an officer’s Brady-Giglio listing “as justice may require.”

In less than two years, courts have reversed local prosecutors on several Brady-Giglio placements, including a messy Henry County dispute in which prosecutors accused a sheriff’s deputy of making misleading statements on a search warrant application.

What happened in Jefferson County?

The lawsuit before the Iowa Supreme Court involves an April 2024 traffic stop by a Jefferson County deputy. As laid out in a subsequent memo by Moulding, video recordings show the deputy handling the driver roughly and, when the man complains, telling him “I can do whatever I want” and, “You’re not going to tell me what I can and can’t do. … You’re going to learn what respect is, young man.”

After learning about the incident, Moulding wrote, he repeatedly emailed Richmond, asking if the deputy’s actions had violated any county policies. Richmond did not respond. Concerned about possible litigation against the county, Moulding then asked another county to conduct an investigation. While the details are disputed, Moulding accuses Richmond of stonewalling both his office and the outside investigators and instructing his subordinates also not to cooperate.

“A county sheriff ordering deputies not to cooperate with an inquiry into a deputy’s use of force represents a fundamental lapse in judgment and raised serious concerns regarding the Sheriff’s honesty, candor and ethics as a law enforcement official,” Moulding wrote.

He scheduled a meeting that Richmond did not attend and then placed him on the county’s Brady-Giglio list. In an emailed statement, Moulding called the entire matter “unfortunate.”

“Frankly, I am shocked that instead of attempting to address this matter with my office cooperatively, the Sheriff instead decided to stonewall an investigation, stonewall the Brady-Giglio investigation, and then take this matter to court instead of sitting down and addressing the matter like an adult and an elected official,” he said.

In a letter, Moulding warned Richmond that he would no longer be called as a law enforcement witness and advised him to limit his involvement with criminal investigations, as “your engagement in such activities could likely negatively impact the outcomes in court.”

Judge disagrees with sheriff’s placement on list

After Moulding denied Richmond’s request for reconsideration, Richmond filed suit. In February 2025, Judge Jeffrey Farrell ruled Richmond should be removed from the list.

Farrell’s order criticized both parties, finding that Moulding had failed to comply with some procedural elements of the law but that Richmond could have avoided the whole situation with “basic and professional” responses to Moulding’s emails. Nonetheless, he found Richmond’s actions did not demonstrate dishonesty or deceit that would justify placement on a Brady list.

“This is not a case in which an officer lied to a court, was convicted of a crime, manufactured or destroyed evidence, or committed some other act that would serve as the basis for impeachment in any criminal case,” Farrell wrote. “Game-playing the county attorney is not the standard of professionalism that Iowans expect of our elected county sheriffs,” he added, but does not constitute grounds for a Brady-Giglio listing.

Prosecutor appeals, argues law is unconstitutional

In his appeal, Moulding does not address Farrell’s factual findings, instead asking the court only to decide whether the law is constitutional.

“The most glaring constitutional defect in (the 2024 law) is that it impedes a criminal Defendant’s substantive and procedural due processes of law, and right to a fair trial,” the appeal says. “These fundamental rights constitute the bedrock raisons d’être for the entire body of Brady-Giglio jurisprudence in the first place.”

Iowa appears to be the only state with a law allowing officers to sue to be removed from a Brad-Giglio list, but Moulding cites a recent federal lawsuit where a judge rejected a South Dakota officer’s attempt to get removed from a list, finding the request “in essence, asks this Court to require a State’s Attorney to violate the constitution.” He further argues that the law violates the constitutional separation of powers and is “so poorly drafted as to be unenforceable and void for vagueness.”

Sheriff’s attorney says single lapse of judgment is not grounds for listing

Gribble, Richmond’s attorney, argued in his Supreme Court brief that the law is constitutional and that the sheriff’s actions fall well short of Brady-Giglio standards.

“Under (the 2024 law), placement on the Brady-Giglio list results not from a single lapse of judgment but rather from repeated, sustained, intentional and egregious acts over a period of time,” he wrote. “Thus, while a singular act of bad judgement may undermine a police officer’s credibility in a particular case, placement on the Brady-Giglio list places a permanent and unreviewable scarlet letter on the officer that he/she is unlikely to be able to ever overcome.”

He also suggests that a court order removing an officer from a list “does not in any way alter the prosecuting attorney’s duty to provide exculpatory evidence in all cases.” In an interview, he argued there should be a legal distinction between prosecutors disclosing concerns about an officer’s conduct in the case in which it occurred, and doing so in every future case involving them.

“To me, that’s what Brady-Giglio is for, not for occasional or first-time wrongs, even if established of a police officer, but those that have a history of that sort of thing,” he said.

The Supreme Court has not yet set a date for arguments in the case.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166.

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