[UPDATED 4:12-A.M. 4/14/24]  – The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has four people in custody in connection to the disappearance last month of 27-year-old Veronica Butler and 39-year-old Jilian Kelley. Kelley is the wife of a former youth minister for the Griswold (IA) Church of Christ.  Reports say pools of blood were found outside the abandoned car the women had occupied.

(Left to right): Veronica Butler; and Jilian Kelley,

On Saturday, April 13, 43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum, 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were arrested in Texas and Cimarron Counties. All four individuals were booked into the Texas County Jail on two counts of First-Degree Murder, two counts of Kidnapping, and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in the First Degree.

Suspects arrested in the disappearance of Butler & Kelley. (OSBI photo)

Reports said Adams was the grandmother to Veronica Butler’s children, who Butler and Kelley were enroute to pick up, when they were last heard from two weeks ago. Adams and her boyfriend Tad Cullum were among those arrested and booked into jail.  Adams was said to have had custody of Butler’s kids before she went missing.

(Walcott, Iowa) – A crash Saturday afternoon in eastern Iowa’s Scott County resulted in the deaths of two people. The Iowa State Patrol reports the crash happened at around 12:26-p.m. on Interstate 80 westbound, south of Walcott. Authorities say a 1999 Lexus SUV was traveling westbound, when for reasons unknown, the vehicle went out of control and rolled multiple time into the north ditch at mile marker 281, and came to rest on its roof.

A male front seat passenger was ejected and died at the scene. The driver also died. One of the victims was wearing a seat belt, while the other was not. The Patrol had not released any names as of late this (Saturday) afternoon.

The Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Walcott Fire Department and Ambulance, and Durant Fire Dept. assisted at the scene.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Red Oak Police Department reports a man was arrested early this (Saturday) afternoon (April 13th) on an OWI charge. 51-year-old Chad Andrew Caskey was arrested at around 12:37-p.m. at the intersection of Broadway and Reed Streets, for OWI/1st offense. Caskey was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Red Oak Police, Friday afternoon, arrested 18-year-old Aiden William Wright, of Red Oak. Wright was taken into custody at 3-p.m. in the area of 4th and Elm Streets in Red Oak, for Interference with Official Acts. Wright was being held on $300 bond in the Montgomery County Jail.

(Red Oak, Iowa) — Police in Red Oak arrested a man following a traffic stop Friday evening. Authorities say 24-year-old Brandon Lane Good was arrested a little before 7:30 p.m., for driving while revoked. Good was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Friday evening, said investigators have interviewed the three Cedar Rapids Police Officers connected with the fatal April 6, 2024 shooting incident involving David Vanderhamm. All three officers are members of the Cedar Rapids Police Department and have been identified as: 

• Sergeant Alex Haas (ten year veteran)
• Officer Emily Habeck (eight year veteran)
• Officer Skylar Mullins (four year veteran).  

All three officers are cooperating with the investigation.

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(Cedar Rapids, Iowa) – While the Iowa D-C-I continues to investigate a shooting by Cedar Rapids police officers that left one man dead and another wounded, authorities with the DCI, Monday, said the deceased has been identified as 40-year-old David Vanderhamm, of Cedar Rapids.  A male bystander who was also shot during the incident has been identified and his name and information will not be released at this time.

Cedar Rapids police were called to a residence on the northeast side around 6:30-p.m.  Saturday, April 6th, on the report of a man who was armed and making homicidal and suicidal statements. Officers found the man (Vanderhamm) and a bystander who had called requesting assistance. Police say [Vanderhamm] had a weapon and he refused commands to drop it, and three officers fired when pointed the weapon at them. [Vanderhamm] died at the scene and the bystander was taken to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican, says it’s time for congress to pass the Expanding Agricultural Exports Act she’s co-sponsoring with an independent senator from Maine and a Minnesota senator who’s a Democrat. The bill would double federal funding for marketing campaigns that promote the sale of U-S agricultural products in foreign countries.

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture is predicting at $30.5 billion agricultural trade deficit for Fiscal Year 2024,” Ernst said. “That’s why I’m leading the Expanding Agricultural Exports Act to strengthen the Market Access Program and Foreign Marketing Development program, helping build strong commodity markets overseas and new export opportunities for Iowa farmers.”

Ernst says the Biden Administration should do more to promote the sale of U-S agricultural goods. Ernst’s comments come as Japan’s Prime Minister wraps up a state visit to the United States. “Japan understands the quality and care that comes with Iowa pork,” Ernst says. “They’re our third largest export destination and second leading export market for pork products.”

Mexico is the top export destination for Iowa pork

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Supreme Court has unanimously reversed a $790,000 verdict awarded a state employee in a hostile-work-environment lawsuit.

Tracy White filed the lawsuit in 2019 against her supervisor Mike McInroy at the Department of Human Services. The state appealed saying several so-called “me-too” reports of harassment by others against McInroy should not have been allowed in the case. The Iowa Supreme Court agreed, saying White failed to establish she personally experienced sufficiently severe or pervasive conduct. It says merely having a bad boss does not get creat a hostile-work-environment claim, nor does a personality conflict with a supervisor.

The High Court says affirming the judgment would undermine well-established precedent setting a high bar for proof of objectively severe or pervasive harassment, and it would expose Iowa employers to costly liability for sporadic vulgarities and common personality conflicts.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – On Thursday, April 11th, 2024, the Atlantic Area Chamber Ambassadors were hosted by Atlantic Animal Health Center to celebrate 10 years of business.

Doctors Kate and Pat Hoffmann purchased Atlantic Animal Health Center from Dr. Keith Leonard in 2014, and the practice has continued to grow and change since the beginning. Dr. Kate Hoffmann shared the first upgrade that was made to the practice was purchasing gas anesthesia and the practice has continued to upgrade their diagnostic capabilities such as in-house lab work and digital x-ray. The most recent changes to the clinic include an online pharmacy, user friendly patient portal app, and client communications such as two-way texting.

Looking forward, the Hoffmann’s have purchased property on the west side of Atlantic, with plans to build a new office building. The plans are in the very early stages, but the Hoffmann’s are excited to extend the footprint of the clinic to serve more patients and attract more employees.

Pictured Left to Right (Ambassadors): Graydon Schmidt, Kelsey Beschorner, Tyler McAfee, Colt Doherty, Anne Quist, John Bricker, Alden Harriman, David Kalny, DeeDee Kalny, Dolly Bergmann, Ruth Sears, Jeremy Butler, Krysta Hanson, Sue Liston, Bill Saluk, Lana Westphalen, Megan Sramek, Jim Kickland, Enrique Castillo
Pictured Left to Right (AAHC Staff): Madeline Schmidt, Ashley Updike, Dr. Kate Hoffmann, Gabriel Hoffmann, Logan Bierbaum, Summer Akers

Atlantic Animal Health Center employs four full time support staff and a handful of part time staff. Dr. Hoffmann and her team care for many species of small animals through comprehensive veterinary services focused on the pet’s wellness, health, and care. Atlantic Animal Health Center services include wellness exams, vaccination, dentistry, surgery, lab diagnostics, and boarding.

Atlantic Animal Health Center is located at 1008 W 6th Street in Atlantic. For more information about the clinic visit www.atlanticanimalhealthcenter.com or call 712-243-2121

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa D-N-R spokesman Peter Hildreth says the annual walleye collection was successful. “The goal is to collect enough fish to hatch 154-point-eight million walleye fry that will supply Iowa lakes and fish hatcheries,” Hildreth says. He says the eggs are removed from the walleyes and the fish are returned to the lake where they were caught to make room for the next night’s catch.”Our broodstock lakes have excellent wildlife populations and the timings have been perfect the staff have all the wildlife they need to fill the jars to get one-thousand-738 quarts of eggs,” he says.

Hildreth says they worked on several different lakes. “Spent five nights at Storm Lake, four nights at Rathbun, two and a half nights on Spirit Lake and two nights on Clear Lake. And in those short nights of efforts, like I said they collected all the wildlife they need to meet our goals,” Hildreth says.

The fish will be stocked into Iowa’s lakes after growing to the proper size at the fish hatcheries.