Home Care In Watkins, IA

The Van Buren County prosecutor who was removed from office for what the Iowa Supreme Court called “shocking and repeated displays of sexual harassment” has failed to comply with requirements for reinstatement of his law license, according to court records.

A district court judge removed Abraham Watkins from his post as county attorney in January of 2017. The Iowa Court of Appeals later reversed that decision, but last summer the Iowa Supreme Court suspended Watkins’ law license for a minimum of six months.

Now, the Iowa Supreme Court’s Office of Professional Regulation has filed a notice with the court certifying that Watkins does not meet the requirements necessary for reinstatement of his law license.

Specifically, the office alleges that Wakins has not paid the costs incurred by the Grievance Commission in investigating his wrongdoing; that he has not paid the required $100 reinstatement fee; and that he has not paid a continuing legal education fee of $100.

Watkins could not be reached for comment.

Court records indicate Watkins graduated from law school in 2004, but supported himself by playing poker until 2012 when he moved to Iowa and opened a law office in Keosauqua.

In 2014, Watkins was elected Van Buren’s county attorney. By 2015, Watkins was allegedly consuming alcohol heavily and in 2016, he was hospitalized for alcohol abuse. Watkins’ assistant, a 22-year-old female, subsequently resigned, claiming Watkins twice appeared before her wearing only his boxer briefs; told her he wished he had a wife who had sex with him all the time; and told her that her “boobs are distracting.” He also was accused of viewing explicit photos on his office computer and showing others a video of his wife squirting breast milk in the back seat of the assistant’s car.

After the Van Buren County Board of Supervisor’s investigated the allegations, the county filed a court petition seeking Watkins’ removal from office. That petition resulted in a judge ruling that Watkins’ should be removed from office for willful sexual harassment.

In its decision, the court stated, “Many people, probably most, would consider much of (Watkins’) conduct to be outrageous or even shocking. The fact that Mr. Watkins is an attorney trained in the law makes his behavior all the more troublesome.”

The decision was reversed on appeal, and Watkins was reinstated as county attorney. After losing a 2018 bid for re-election, Watkins continued to operate a private practice in Keosauqua.

In its 2020 decision suspending Watkins’ law license, the Iowa Supreme Court noted that Watkins had sought to minimize his “shocking” conduct while arguing that he didn’t realize his actions were inappropriate since they pre-dated the #MeToo movement.

“Perhaps Watkins only recently figured out that his behavior is repugnant, but sexual harassment has existed for centuries,” the court stated in its decision. “Frankly, one need not have any legal training to know, for example, that you should not show your female employee a picture of your wife’s vagina as Watkins did … Watkins was the very person tasked to seek justice for victims of sex crimes and domestic abuse, yet he cultivated and maintained a culture of disrespect for women within his own office.”

WATKINS, Iowa (KCRG) - The history of baseball in the small, unincorporated town of Watkins runs deep.

“It’s just an ongoing thing,” said resident Allen Walter. “We’ve been at it since the ’30′s,”

Home of the Mud-Hens, the town of fewer than 100 people, holds a great deal of pride in their local baseball team and stadium. The name has been the Mudhens forever, and has a history that’s spanned generations.

“Way back in the 1930′s and 40′s in Watkins, if it rained, they didn’t care if it was muddy or not, they played,” Walter added.

Just by taking a quick look around, it’s easy to see why the connection of the team and the town is so strong.

“All of us guys around here, our dads played and cousins and uncles and everybody has helped,” Walter said.

The ballpark itself is a staple in Watkins. It has an old-fashioned grandstand, cornfields surrounding the outfield, and a locker-room for players that when you step inside, you step backwards in time.

“It is kind of a community thing,” Walter said. “People like to come here. I think we’re famous for our chili dogs and walking tacos and cheap beer. It’s a fun night. People look forward to, they come in and bring their kids, they come in for supper and usually some good baseball,”

There’s a reason that for months people like Walter have arrived to this stadium to work. The group, including former players, need to fix what was destroyed in last year’s derecho.

“We kind of support each other,” said resident Dan Schulte. “There aren’t that many of these small independent teams left and so we try to help each other out,”

One by one, the paneling along the outfield fence goes back up. During the storm, panels were sent to cornfields 100 yards away.

“It looks pretty good from what it looked like a month ago,” Walter said.

New lights and a scoreboard are needed as well as the derecho knocked out transformers that can’t be replaced. Slowly and surely, the ballpark looks closer to how it did before.

“We knew we had to get it back because we had to have baseball, whatever it took,” Walter said “Since the 30′s, people know about Watkins and they want to help out so they have. I think we’re going to get it done alright,”

If you would like to donate to the repair of the stadium, please send a check or reach out to the Watkins Athletic Association at the Watkins Savings Bank at P.O. Box 140, Watkins, Iowa 52354.

Copyright 2021 KCRG. All rights reserved.

Iowa Learning Farms relies on a strong roster of farmer-partners to help reach and engage farmers across Iowa with its conservation outreach programs and activities. Seth Watkins has been one of these partners for more than a decade, and he was just honored by the Sand County Foundation with the 2022 Iowa Leopold Conservation Award for his longstanding efforts to improve soil health on Pinhook Farms and other southwest Iowa lands he leases or manages in Page and Taylor counties. The first Iowa recipient of the award, Watkins was also acknowledged as a leading advocate for soil and water conservation efforts statewide.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes individuals who inspire others with their dedication to land, water and wildlife habitat in their care. Watkins has epitomized this commitment to the land through a lifetime of decisions since starting out working his own land in the 1990s. He currently owns, leases or manages some 4,000 acres on which he has been instrumental in decision making focused on soil health, water quality and regeneration of biodiversity and habitat.

In nominating Watkins for the award, ILF director Jacqueline Comito said, “There is no farmer I know who embodies the spirit of Leopold’s land ethic more than Seth Watkins. His extraordinary achievements in voluntary conservation, inspiration to other landowners through his own efforts, as well as his eagerness to help the general public understand the vital role private landowners play in conservation success, set him apart.”

“I am honored and humbled by this award and the recommendations from peers and colleagues that supported my nomination,” Watkins said. “There are a lot of deserving farmers in Iowa who are doing incredible things and trying to put the land first. I hope this recognition of my small contributions and efforts will inspire other farmers and ranchers to look differently at their land and focus on setting and meeting conservation goals.”

Improvement to the land

Early in his farming career, Watkins took the approach of looking at and listening to the land. He noted that land, soil and water are not much different from livestock in that if something doesn’t look or smell right, there is probably a need for change. He not only converted his land from row crops to pasture and reserved lands, but he also took things a step further and placed the 320 acres of his family farmland into a permanent conservation easement, so it will never be returned to inefficient row crop use.

“Sometimes you need to stop and take stock of your surroundings — and when you see something that isn’t really right, take the time and make the effort to understand the science and mechanics of what is happening, and what you might do to make a correction,” Watkins said. “For example, if you consider a clear pond or a crystal stream and then look at a compromised waterway, you need to work backward to better understand what mired the water, and what things large and small — such as restricting grazing near the banks — might make a difference and help return the water to its crystal-clear nature. Sometimes things work out the way you think, and other times they don’t. But you need to use your senses and be willing to change if improvements are going to be made.”

Watkins’ improvements to the land he manages include creation or improvement of 56 ponds and a wetland that help improve the quality of water leaving the properties, as well as creating habitat for a broad diversity of wildlife. He has also implemented prairie strips — and was instrumental in aiding Iowa State University researchers in transitioning from test plots to field-scale implementations. Additionally, he is a strong proponent of cover crops and has been responsible for enrolling hundreds of acres into the Conservation Reserve Program and other conservation programs.

Watkins is recognized as a natural leader and teacher. He has lectured across the country and around the world, he regularly hosts field days with ILF, is an active member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, and absolutely loves to engage with young people and beginning farmers. He is passionate about inspiring young people to know and love the land like he does. He helped ILF develop its Emerging Farmers program and hosted a dozen beginning farmers for an immersive two-day workshop on his land.

And while some of his neighbors and peers may not completely agree with his approach, Watkins is well-respected statewide and nationally and throughout the conservation and agriculture communities for his passion and willingness to try and to share his experiences and knowledge.

In his influential 1949 book, “A Sand County Almanac,” Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.” Seth Watkins is one Iowa farmer who works hard every day to achieve those possibilities.

Ripley is Iowa Learning Farms manager and a Water Rocks! conservation outreach specialist.

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At the junction of Highway 218 and Highway 30 in Benton County is a small building with a BIG history. Thanks to a recent article from Iowa Farmer Today, we've learned all about a historic place called The Youngville Café (formerly known as the Youngville Station) in Watkins.

According to Wikipedia, the Youngville Cafe was built in 1931 by a man named Joe Young. He constructed the building on his land for his widowed daughter Lizzie Wheeler as a way for her to support herself and her children. Only the cafe remains today, but the one-stop business also used to include a Skelly gas station and three cabins for travelers to rent. The antique gas pumps are still on display in front of the cafe.

The State Historical Society of Iowa website says that the Youngville Cafe was known for it's "family-friendly atmosphere with fried chicken, homemade pie, live piano music, groceries, and even a few slot machines." It closed down in 1967 when it could no longer support all the travelers coming through the area, and was then used as a private residence until it was abandoned in the 80s. The cafe was eventually reopened in 1994 after a state grant allowed it to be renovated. Damage from the derecho caused the cafe to close again in 2020, but it was repaired and reopened in 2022. Youngville Cafe was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Iowa Farmer Today reports that Youngville Cafe is currently run by volunteers and is only open one day a week. The cafe serves burgers, soup, sandwiches, and grilled tenderloins, but cafe manager Jim Hanke says that they are famous for their pies. If you want to stop by the historical business, it's only open from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Have you ever visited Youngville Cafe? Tell us about your experience in the comments or by sending us a message on the app!

Awesome Outdoor Patios to Dine On This Summer Around the Corridor

Now that spring is here, patio season is right around the corner! With the help of Eastern Iowans in the Cedar Rapids Area Support Local Group on Facebook, I put together a list of great restaurant patios in the area where you can dine and/or drink when the weather gets warmer. Here are some of the popular places!

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Sabrina Watkins' age. She was 39. It also incorrectly identified the name of the deceased,11-year-old girl. That information came from a now-corrected Iowa State Patrol report.

A 14-year-old girl with a learner's permit was driving with her family when she lost control and rolled their car on Interstate 80 on Tuesday, resulting in the death of her mother and sister, state troopers say.

Passengers Sabrina Watkins, 39, and Nataija Watkins, 11, both of Des Moines, died on the scene when a 2003 GMC Envoy crashed around 12:30 p.m. near the Newton exit and rolled into a ditch, Sgt. Nathan Ludwig of the Iowa State Patrol said Wednesday.

Sabrina Watkins is the mother of the driver, and Nataija is the driver's sister.

Nataija was in sixth grade at Weeks Middle School. She wasn't wearing her seat belt at the time of the crash, according to the report.

Her sister Natasha, 13, also attends Weeks Middle School. She was injured in the crash and taken to Iowa Methodist Medical Center. She also wasn’t wearing a seat belt, according to the report.

Grief counselors were available at Weeks Middle School on Wednesday, and students’ families were provided a phone number for assistance through UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, according to Amanda Lewis, a Des Moines Public Schools district spokeswoman.

The vehicle's driver, BryNeisha Watkins, 14, of Des Moines, was taken by ambulance to Iowa Methodist Medical Center. She is in ninth grade at Lincoln Rails Academy.

The extent of both surviving sisters' injuries was unclear Wednesday night.

It's also still unclear how BryNeisha Watkins lost control of the vehicle, Ludwig said, but she may have over-corrected while passing a semitrailer truck. Texting is not considered a factor in the crash, he said.

It's unclear whether any charges will be filed, Ludwig said.

Officials from both schools where Sabrina Watkins' children are students were unable to be reached for comment Wednesday.

Members of the Watkins family were unreachable or chose not to comment for this story.

Prior to Wednesday's crash, BryNeisha Watkins had a clear driving record, said Melissa Spiegel, a spokeswoman for Iowa's Motor Vehicle Division. Her learner's permit had been issued in July.

Sabrina Watkins had previously been cited in August for having a child in the car without a seat belt and speeding, Spiegel said.

Iowa state law requires anyone younger than age 18 to be wearing a seat belt while in a moving vehicle, Spiegel said.

IOWA'S INSTRUCTIONAL PERMIT RULES

In Iowa, children at 14 can get an instructional permit with their parent or guardian’s consent. They must pass a knowledge and vision test before they’re free to practice driving on any Iowa road.There are a few rules, though:

-- The driver must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, approved instructor, a member of the family who is 21 or older, or anyone who is 25 years old and has written permission from a parent or guardian.

-- If the driver’s accompaniment has a driving restriction, that also applies to the driver.

Parents and guardians of the new driver are given a document to guide them through the teaching process.

“You’re the coach and (the document) gives some advice to parents about how to instruct their child that’s the driver,” said Melissa Spiegel, communications and policy officer for the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Division.

An intermediate license is available at age 16, which requires supervised driving only between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

"I think it’s important to be careful when you’re instructing a new driver on how to drive," Spiegel said. "And it’s important to discuss with your teen driver about what to expect while operating the vehicle and to practice in the daytime in good weather. And of course, accidents can happen."