Boone County sheriff reports 13 online‑predator arrests, new radio system and RAGBRAI preparedness

Boone County Sheriff Andy Gadziki told the Ogden City Council the sheriff’s office has arrested 13 people in online stings aimed at offenders seeking sexual contact with minors and is stepping up local traffic enforcement and event planning ahead of RAGBRAI.

“My name is Andy Gadziki… I’m the sheriff of Boone County,” Gadziki said, and later told the council, “we’ve arrested 13 people.” He described the arrests as serious class B felonies and said, in general terms reported to the council, that sentences for those offenses can be lengthy: “Most people get 25 years… with at least a 12‑year minimum.” Gadziki said the operation was trained and coordinated with the county attorney’s office and the Boone Police Department and that some cases were transferred to other states’ investigators.

Gadziki also briefed the council on infrastructure and operational updates. The county completed about a $2.8 million radio upgrade that replaced a tower behind the sheriff’s office with a taller structure, restored microwave links across the county and added a repeater near the Don Williams site to improve coverage in western Boone County, including Ogden and Boxholm. “The radio system’s working great,” he said.

On K‑9 operations the sheriff reported that canine Jenga is now drug‑certified and that her handler, Deputy Brunswick, will soon be certified for tracking following internal training. Gadziki described the certification as focused on teaching handlers “how to read the dog.”

Residents raised speeding and noise concerns in downtown areas and on major routes. Gadziki described enforcement options and offered a data‑collection device the department owns to measure vehicle speeds and traffic patterns: the traffic analyzer records speeds, vehicle size and timestamps to help schedule enforcement. He also discussed speed‑feedback signs and stepped‑up patrols for problem locations.

Gadziki said the sheriff’s office plans two days of operations around RAGBRAI, will meet with the Iowa DOT on June 24 to finalize routing and will provide deputies to assist Boone Police where requested. He offered to coordinate traffic‑monitoring deployments and to work with local leaders to reduce speeding during peak times.

The sheriff left the meeting early for another engagement after the report. The council did not take formal action on the sheriff’s suggestions but asked staff to follow up on targeted traffic monitoring and enforcement plans.