The Red Oak Police Department arrested a Red Oak woman on Tuesday on a warrant for Violation of Parole. At 12:27pm Officers arrested 41-year-old Rachel Charise Kathlee Hadden of Red Oak at 105 East Coolbaugh Street. Hadden was taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and held on no bond.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa school district’s investigation of its superintendent has been completed and no disciplinary action will take place. The Sioux City Journal reports that Sioux City School District’s former finance director John Chalstrom accused Superintendent Paul Gausman earlier this year of creating a hostile workplace and threatening his job if he shared alternative budget proposals with school board members outside regular board meetings.

School board president Mike Krysl says the investigation into the allegations is complete unless new information arises. The board approved a settlement agreement with Chalstrom in April. It allows him to remain on paid administrative leave until the expiration of his contract on June 30 and awards him about $35,000 in severance pay.

The board hired Patricia Blankenship on Monday as the new finance director.

BRITT, Iowa (AP) – A northern Iowa veteran group is assembling care packages for sailors on the USS Fitzgerald, which collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan on June 17, killing seven U.S. sailors. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that nine members of the Dean Welsh Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary of Britt are working on the project.

Jean Perkins is the chairman of the care packages drive. The drive was inspired by Perkin’s 27-year-old granddaughter, Brianna Downer, who is serving in the Navy. Downer asked Perkins last week if the group could do anything for the sailors. The group sent about 50 care packages to Downer’s crew in 2012.

The care packages will include toiletries, books, magazines, socks, T-shirts, snacks, hard candy and non-perishable items.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A father and son whose Iowa-based egg production company caused a massive 2010 salmonella outbreak have exhausted their appeals and a federal judge has ordered them to begin serving prison sentences.

53-year old Peter DeCoster must report to the Federal Prison Camp in Yankton, South Dakota after July 30 and his 83-year-old father Austin “Jack” DeCoster must serve his three-month term at the Federal Correctional Institution in Berlin, New Hampshire, 30 days after Peter is released.

They were sentenced to prison by a federal judge in Iowa in 2015 but appealed their sentences claiming they were unconstitutional and unreasonably harsh. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their appeal in May. The DeCosters, who owned and operated Quality Egg LLC, pleaded guilty to selling adulterated food as responsible corporate officers.

Officers with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today (Tuesday), were called to dispatch a mountain lion from a farm near Galva, in northeast Ida County. The situation arose after a neighboring livestock producer discovered a dead calf that showed evidence consistent with an attack by a large cat late last week. Repeated calls were placed to 911 Monday evening by a nearby landowner who discovered the cat.

DNR officers use lethal action as the last resort option in these situations and every effort is made to humanely remove the animal. Bruce Trautman, deputy director with the Iowa DNR, said “White-tailed deer and other wild animals, particularly the weak or injured, are often the preferred prey. But in this situation, it appears this mountain lion has targeted young livestock and livestock producers are well within their rights to protect their livelihood.”

This is the first confirmed female mountain lion in Iowa. There is no physical evidence that she has produced any young. The Iowa DNR will collect teeth, tissue samples for genetic analysis and examine the stomach contents of the 88 pound animal. This is the fourth mountain lion killed in Iowa and the most recent since 2013 when a four year old male was shot in Sioux County. Since 1995, there have been 21 confirmed mountain lions in Iowa.

Western South Dakota and Nebraska have been the genetic source for the lions killed in Iowa. Mountain lions are not listed as a furbearer and have no protected status in Iowa.

A notorious criminal who robbed a Mason City credit union two years ago and committed other crimes in Nebraska and across the western United States -may- be in custody. In 2012 and 2014, a man the FBI called the “AK-47 Bandit” robbed several banks, as well as shot and wounded a police officer in Chino, California. 39-year-old Richard Gathercole was arrested last week in Dawson County, Nebraska after allegedly firing shots from an AK-47 rifle at a Kansas state trooper.

FBI Los Angeles spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says numerous agencies are investigating whether evidence found in the search of a Roundup, Montana home is linked to the suspect. A jailhouse phone call transcript submitted to a judge by federal officials seeking a search warrant for the Montana home shows Gathercole asked his mother a few days after his arrest to clear his home of guns. Federal agents say homemade bombs were found at the home.

Court documents show that Gathercole is accused of stealing $126-thousand from the Iowa Heartland Credit Union in Mason City on July 28th, 2015 after informing tellers he had a “pressure bomb.”

(Radio Iowa)

Auditor of State Mary Mosiman today (Tuesday), released a report on a special investigation of the City of Harlan for the period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2016. The special investigation was requested by City officials as a result of concerns regarding certain travel reimbursements issued to the former City Administrator, Terry Cox.

Mosiman reported the special investigation identified $144,872.32 of improper and unsupported disbursements. In addition, Mosiman reported the City frequently provided meals, snacks, and/or drinks for City Committee, City Council, or City employee meetings involving volunteers from the community. However, the City does not have a written policy addressing the public purpose of such disbursements. For the period June 1, 2011 through June 30, 2016, $5,703.61 of disbursements for food, drinks, snacks, decorations, and plastic dinnerware were identified for which there is no documentation of the public purpose served.

The $123,543.67 of improper disbursements identified includes $33,953.88 of payments issued to Mr. Cox for travel reimbursements primarily for excess mileage claimed, expenses reimbursed by third parties, expenses for events not attended or for events which provided no public benefit, expenses supported by altered documentation, and alcoholic beverages included on meal receipts.

In addition, Mosiman reported the improper disbursements identified include $35,197.60 of payroll checks issued to Mr. Cox for hours recorded on the payroll register which Mr. Cox did not work. The City incurred additional FICA and IPERS contributions for the improper payroll totaling $5,501.30.
The improper disbursements identified also include:
• a $9,457.60 vacation payout issued to Mr. Cox which he was not entitled to,
• $12,600.00 of payments issued to Mr. Cox for a monthly car allowance, which was previously discontinued,
• $1,315.88 of unauthorized salary issued to Mr. Cox,

• $15,364.72 of payments to vendors,
• $4,811.78 of purchases made on the City credit card issued to Mr. Cox,
• $1,792.48 of purchases made on another City credit card,
• $114.51 of fees including finance charges, late fees, and foreign transaction fees on City credit cards,
• $1,055.00 of payments issued on behalf of City employees for eyeglasses, which did not comply with the City’s policy, and
• $169.85 of payments issued to Harlan Municipal Utilities for the HBO Multiplex package for Mr. Cox’s office included with the cable television services provided at City Hall.

In addition, because the payments issued to Mr. Cox were processed through the City’s payroll system, the City incurred additional FICA and, in some cases, IPERS contributions for the improper payouts, car allowance, and salary totaling $1,788.06 and $112.40, respectively. Although limited records were available for the period prior to July 1, 2004, an additional $308.61 of improper disbursements for the period November 1, 1999 through June 29, 2001 were identified for improper purchases made on the City fuel card issued to Mr. Cox.

Mosiman reported the $21,328.65 of unsupported disbursements identified includes:
• $15,391.26 of reimbursements for Mr. Cox,
• $3,111.15 of purchases made on the City credit card issued to Mr. Cox, and
• $2,826.24 of purchases made on another City credit card.

In addition, Mosiman reported it was not possible to determine if additional amounts were improperly disbursed because adequate documentation was not available.
The report includes recommendations to strengthen the City’s internal controls, such as improvements to segregation of duties, performing independent review of utility billings, collections, and delinquencies, and ensuring all disbursements are properly supported, approved, and paid in a timely manner.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Shelby County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. A copy of the report is available for review in the Office of Auditor of State and on the Auditor of State’s web site at https://auditor.iowa.gov/reports/1620-0790-BE00.

Five people were arrested on separate charges over the past week, in Mills County. Sheriff’s officials say 32-year old Moo Gay, of Omaha, was arrested June 22nd, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bond was set at $1,000.

On Monday, June 26th, 40-year old Richard William Finn, of Pacific Junction, 26-year old Dylan Michael Frazier, of Malvern, and 37-year old Sara Alayne Johnson, of Glenwood, were each arrested for Driving Under Suspension. Their bonds were set at $300 each. And, 21-year old Kayla Shae Richardson, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, on a warrant for Failure to Appear in Court on an “other” Violation, or Chapter 321a of the Iowa Code (Motor Vehicle Financial responsibility). Her bond was set at $2,000.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports a man was arrested last week on an assault charge. 22-year old Travis Cole Sunderman, of Clarinda, was taken into custody the evening of June 22nd, on a Page County on a warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st Offense.  Sunderman was transported to the Page County Jail. He posted a $300 bond the following day and was released pending further court proceedings.

Travis C. Sunderman

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A longtime Sioux City transit bus driver has pleaded not guilty to a charge of operating under the influence. Court records say 64-year-old Howard Barrett entered the plea Monday. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Aug. 25.

Authorities say police stopped Barrett in a parking lot on June 15 while he was still on the clock for Sioux City Transit. Police say a preliminary breath test showed Barrett had a blood alcohol concentration over the limit of 0.08 percent.

City Attorney Nicole DuBois says Barrett submitted his retirement papers the following day. Barrett joined the city staff in 1983.