THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2025 • VOLUME N0. 124 • ISSUE NO. 9 • 1 SECTION • 8 PAGES
Serving Colfax • Mingo • Baxter • Western Jasper County
HONORING OUR VETERANS Colfax-Mingo celebrates those who served during a Veterans Day program Nov. 11
Jamee A. Pierson/ Jasper County Tribune Colfax-Mingo students perform for fellow classmates, community members and local veterans during the annual Veterans Day program Nov. 11 at Colfax-Mingo Jr./Sr. High.
Prosecutors note rise in adults using social media to try to groom, sexually exploit kids
County attorney urges families to monitor their children’s online activities By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune When local law enforcement and prosecutors from the county attorney’s office met in late March for a training course to catch child predators, they didn’t expect to use their newfound skills so quickly. By the second day of training, officers found a man trying to solicit sex from what he believed to be a minor. Ever since then it seems like these types of crimes continue trending upwards. Jasper County Attorney Scott Nicholson said every individual charged has been using the internet to target children. He is urging
families to take notice and monitor their kids’ use of online platforms, particularly social media. “Adults have figured out they can get into these games and have contact with these children inside the games that leads to outside meetings,” Nicholson said before speaking to parents and predators directly. “Parents, you need to be hyper aware of your children’s online access. Predators, we’re going to catch you.” Assistant County Attorney Nicholas Pietrack said adults are attempting to groom and/or sexually exploit children through social media and even online games like Roblox, which is currently embroiled in
lawsuits from families saying sex offenders and sexual predators used its platform to communicate with their kids. “Kids have cellphones nowadays at younger and younger ages,” Pietrack said in an interview with Newton News. “So they have more access to being plugged into the whole world, and there are dangers out there that we are just now fully understanding. And it’s always changing.” Nicholson said the county attorney’s office and local law enforcement are both very confident in their technical capabilities to investigate these types of crimes. From what he has gathered, many parents are
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not aware of these types of dangers. But he said it is very important to be mindful of online activity. Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess agrees. He told Newton News that keeping children safe is one of the police department’s top priorities. Officers are committed to tracking down and stopping those who try
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to target children online, he said, but police cannot do it alone. Parents play a huge role, too. “Know who your kids are talking to, set limits on screen time and, most importantly, keep those conversations open about what they’re doing online,” Burdess said. “The more involved you are, the safer your kids will
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be. Together, we can stop predators before they have a chance to hurt anyone.” Offenders of these types of sex crimes are getting heavy sentences in some cases. In March, Francis Heim, 58, of Newton, was sentenced to 30 years. He pled guilty to PREDATORS | 3
Jasper County calls off letters on cost-share interest on feasibility study Feedback from residents on Iowa Street showed the idea is out of the question By Christopher Braunschweig Jasper County Tribune Supervisors received negative feedback from neighbors living on Iowa Street regarding their proposal to enter into a cost-share agreement for a feasibility study on the closed bridge over the North Skunk River. Letters were intended to be sent last week to gauge interest, but now it seems like that idea is scrapped. Newton News reported on the board of supervisors considering the study last week before officials ever drafted the letter. Residents attended
the Oct. 28 board meeting and told supervisors they were offended the county would even consider asking them to pay for the approximately $15,000 study. Others were disappointed to learn about the idea from a newspaper article rather than the supervisors themselves. The idea was brought up during the Oct. 21 work session, and the subsequent story caused a mild uproar online. Supervisors said they were just trying to do everything they could for the neighbors. STUDY | 3 CONTACT US
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Christopher Braunschweig/Jasper County Tribune The bridge along Iowa Street is closed and scheduled to be removed. Before the removal, supervisors wanted to gauge the interest of neighbors about entering into a cost-share agreement with the county for a feasibility study on the bridge.
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